Looking through ion channels: recharged concepts in T-cell signaling

It has been suggested that lymphocyte K+ and Ca2+ channels participate in the early phase of T-cell activation by generating a Ca2+ signal to drive T-cell proliferation. Recent biophysical and pharmacological characterization of ion channels responsible for Ca2+ entry into cells facilitated a better understanding of the physiological role of these channels. In addition, the simple ‘permissive’ function of ion channels in T-cell activation has been challenged recently, by studies indicating that pharmacological tools can selectively inhibit pathological immune reactions, and voltage-gated K+ channels might directly participate in the function of the immunological synapse.