Cx43-Gap Junctions Accumulate at the Cytotoxic Immunological Synapse Enabling Cytotoxic T Lymphocyte Melanoma Cell Killing.

ABSTRACT: Upon tumor antigen recognition, cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) and target cells form specialized supramolecular structures, called cytotoxic immunological synapses, which are required for polarized delivery of cytotoxic granules. In previous reports, we described the accumulation of connexin 43 (Cx43)-formed gap junctions (GJs) at natural killer (NK) cell-tumor cell cytotoxic immunological synapse. In this report, we demonstrate the functional role of Cx43-GJs at the cytotoxic immunological synapse established between CTLs and melanoma cells during cytotoxicity. Using confocal microscopy, we evaluated Cx43 polarization to the contact site between CTLs isolated from pMEL-1 mice and B16F10 melanoma cells. We knocked down Cx43 expression in B16F10 cells and evaluated its role in the formation

SUBMITTER: Hofmann F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6769613 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature