Metrics of 2D immunological synapses in human T cells via high-content confocal cell imaging

Immunological synapses (IS) are the privileged site of complex information transfer between T cells and antigen presenting cells. IS are highly structured in terms of actin and tubulin cytoskeleton organization, receptor and proximal signal patterning, and intracellular organelle polarization. The magnitude and quality of T cell responses upon antigen recognition is dependent on IS molecular organization. For that reason, methods to precisely assess IS parameters are crucial to monitor T cell activation and function in health and disease, but also for T cell centered therapeutic intervention. Confocal and super-resolution microscopy approaches have allowed to characterize the complex structure of the T cell IS. However, those approaches suffer from a low-throughput and low-content format precluding multi-parametric classification of IS across large numbers of samples or stimulatory conditions. Here, we present a protocol of high-content confocal cell imaging in a 384-well plate format adapted to the unbiased analysis of primary T cells forming IS over pre-coated stimulatory molecules. The protocol focuses on the staining of F-actin, pericentrin and granzyme B in CD8+ T cells, but is transposable to other IS molecular markers and lymphocyte subsets. We discuss potential applications offered by the multi-parametric characterization of T cell IS in a high-throughput format.