TRAIL protein localization in human primary T cells by 3D microscopy using 3D interactive surface plot: a new method to visualize plasma membrane.

The apoptotic ligand TNF-related apoptosis ligand (TRAIL) is expressed on the membrane of immune cells during HIV infection. The intracellular stockade of TRAIL in human primary CD4(+) T cells is not known. Here we investigated whether primary CD4(+) T cells expressed TRAIL in their intracellular compartment and whether TRAIL is relocalized on the plasma membrane under HIV activation. We found that TRAIL protein was stocked in intracellular compartment in non activated CD4(+) T cells and that the total level of TRAIL protein was not increased under HIV-1 stimulation. However, TRAIL was massively relocalized on plasma membrane when cells were cultured with HIV. Using three dimensional (3D) microscopy we localized TRAIL protein in human T cells and developed a new method to visualize plasma membrane without the need of a membrane marker. This method used the 3D interactive surface plot and bright light acquired images.