Cutting edge: The dendritic cell cytoskeleton is critical for the formation of the immunological synapse

The binding of a T cell to an APC results in T cell actin cytoskeletal rear rangement leading to the formation of an immunological synapse. The APC cyt oskeleton has been thought to play a passive role in this process. In this study, we demonstrate that dendritic cells (DC), unlike other APC, actively polarize their actin cytoskeleton during interaction with T cells. DC cyto skeletal rearrangement was critical for both the clustering and the activat ion of resting T cells. This study provides compelling evidence that the AP C cytoskeleton plays an active role in the immunological synapse and may ex plain the unique ability of DC to activate resting T cells.