Immunological synapse

Immunological synapse between Jurkat T cell expressing GFP-actin (green) and Raji B cell stained with CMAC (blue). Synapse formation was induced by Staphylococcal enterotoxin E superantigen.

In immunology, an immunological synapse (or immune synapse) is the interface between an antigen-presenting cell or target cell and a lymphocyte such as a T cell, B cell, or natural killer cell. The interface was originally named after the neuronal synapse, with which it shares the main structural pattern.[1] An immunological synapse consists of molecules involved in T cell activation, which compose typical patterns—activation clusters. Immunological synapses are the subject of much ongoing research.[2]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference :1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "What is the importance of the immunological synapse?" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-09-23. Retrieved 2015-10-02.