Actin clearance promotes polarized dynein accumulation at the immunological synapse

Immunological synapse (IS) formation between a T cell and an antigen-presenting cell is accompanied by the reorientation of the T cell centrosome toward the interface. This polarization response is thought to enhance the specificity of T cell effector function by enabling the directional secretion of cytokines and cytotoxic factors toward the antigen-presenting cell. Centrosome reorientation is controlled by polarized signaling through diacylglycerol (DAG) and protein kinase C (PKC). This drives the recruitment of the motor protein dynein to the IS, where it pulls on microtubules to reorient the centrosome. Here, we used T cell receptor photoactivation and imaging methodology to investigate the mechanisms controlling dynein accumulation at the synapse. Our results revealed a remarkable spatiotemporal correlation between dynein recruitment to the synaptic membrane and the depletion of cortical filamentous actin (F-actin) from the same region, suggesting that the two events were causally related. Consistent with this hypothesis, we found that pharmacological disruption of F-actin dynamics in T cells impaired both dynein accumulation and centrosome reorientation. DAG and PKC signaling were necessary for synaptic F-actin clearance and dynein accumulation, while calcium signaling and microtubules were dispensable for both responses. Taken together, these data provide mechanistic insight into the polarization of cytoskeletal regulators and highlight the close coordination between microtubule and F-actin architecture at the IS.