Lipid rafts in T cell signalling and disease.

Lipid rafts is a blanket term used to describe distinct areas in the plasma membrane rich in certain lipids and proteins and which are thought to perform diverse functions. A large number of studies report on lipid rafts having a key role in receptor signalling and activation of lymphocytes. In T cells, lipid raft involvement was demonstrated in the early steps during T cell receptor (TCR) stimulation. Interestingly, recent evidence has shown that signalling in these domains differs in T cells isolated from patients with autoimmune diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Here, we discuss these findings and explore the potential of lipid rafts as targets for the development of a new class of agents to downmodulate immune responses and for the treatment of autoimmune diseases.