The essential role of G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) signaling in regulating T cell immunity

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this paper is to clarify the critical role of GPCR signaling in T cell immunity.

Methods: The G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are the most common targets in current pharmaceutical industry, and represent the largest and most versatile family of cell surface communicating molecules. GPCRs can be activated by a diverse array of ligands including neurotransmitters, chemokines as well as sensory stimuli. Therefore, GPCRs are involved in many key cellular and physiological processes, such as sense of light, taste and smell, neurotransmission, metabolism, endocrine and exocrine secretion. In recent years, GPCRs have been found to play an important role in immune system. T cell is an important type of immune cell, which plays a central role in cell-mediated immunity. A variety of GPCRs and their signaling mediators (RGS proteins, GRKs and β-arrestin) have been found to express in T cells and involved T cell-mediated immunity. We will summarize the role of GPCR signaling and their regulatory molecules in T cell activation, homeostasis and function in this article.

Results: GPCR signaling plays an important role in T cell activation, homeostasis and function.

Conclusion: GPCR signaling is critical in regulating T cell immunity.

Keywords:

• GPCRs
• GRKs
• RGS
• β-arrestin
• T cells

Disclosure statement

The author declares no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Funding

The work was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) [Grant 81302588] and Linyi Health Science Project [201616058] to Dashan Wang.