ERM-Dependent Assembly of T-Cell Receptor Signaling and Co-stimulatory Molecules on Microvilli Prior to Activation

Abstract

SummaryT-cell surfaces are covered with microvilli, actin-rich and flexible protrusions. We use super-resolution microscopy to show that ≥90% T-cell receptor (TCR) complex molecules TCRαβ and TCRζ, as well as the co-receptor CD4 and the co-stimulatory molecule CD2 reside on microvilli of human T cells. Furthermore, TCR proximal signaling molecules involved in the initial stages of the immune response, such as the protein tyrosine kinase Lck and the key adaptor molecule LAT, are also enriched on microvilli. Notably, phosphorylated proteins of the ERM (ezrin, radixin, moesin) family colocalize with these heterodimers as well as with actin filaments within the microvilli of resting T cells. This finding implies a role for one or more phosphorylated ERMs in linking the TCR complex to the actin cytoskeleton within microvilli. Indeed, expression of a dominant-negative ezrin fragment effectively redistributes TCR molecules over the whole T cell surface. Our results establish microvilli as key signaling hubs, in which the TCR complex and its proximal signaling molecules and adaptors are pre-assembled prior to activation in an ERM-dependent manner. The preformed positioning of these actin-binding TCR assemblies on individual microvilli can facilitate the local transmission of TCR signals seconds after TCR occupancy and impacts the slower subsequent events that lead to the assembly of immunological synapses.