Interrogating the T cell synapse with patterned surfaces and photoactivated proteins

The immunological synapse is a site rich in spatially modulated signaling cascades. The importance of spatial organization in intercellular signal transduction has prompted much recent interest in techniques to control the localization of cell-surface signaling molecules to investigate synaptic signaling. Photoactivation, patterning, and mechanical constraint of surface-associated molecules are three prominent examples of such techniques. Recent results have demonstrated the effectiveness of these techniques as tools to investigate the mechanisms of immune synapse assembly and synaptic signaling.