Synthetic surfaces as artificial antigen presenting cells in the study of T cell receptor triggering and immunological synapse formation.

T cell activation occurs when T cell receptors engage peptide-major histocompatibility complex (pMHC) molecules displayed on the surface of antigen presenting cells (APCs). Clustering of TCRs and other receptors in physical patterns at the T-APC interface forms a structure known as an immunological synapse (IS). Studies of the IS are challenging due to the cell-cell contact context of the governing interactions. Model surfaces as synthetic APCs have thus been developed, where the type, quantity, and physical arrangement of ligands displayed to T cells are precisely controlled. These model systems have provided important insights into the structure and function of the IS.