PD-1 inhibits T cell actin remodeling at the immunological synapse independently of its signaling motifs

Engagement of the receptor programmed cell death molecule 1 (PD-1) by its ligands PD-L1 and PD-L2 inhibits T cell–mediated immune responses. Blocking such signaling provides the clinical effects of PD-1–targeted immunotherapy. Here, we investigated the mechanisms underlying PD-1–mediated inhibition. Because dynamic actin remodeling is crucial for T cell functions, we characterized the effects of PD-1 engagement on actin remodeling at the immunological synapse, the interface between a T cell and an antigen-presenting cell (APC) or target cell. We used microscopy to analyze the formation of immunological synapses between PD-1 + Jurkat cells or primary human CD8 + cytotoxic T cells and APCs that presented T cell–activating antibodies and were either positive or negative for PD-L1. PD-1 binding to PD-L1 inhibited T cell spreading induced by antibody-mediated activation, which was characterized by the absence of the F-actin–dense distal lamellipodial network at the immunological synapse and the Arp2/3 complex, which mediates branched actin formation. PD-1–induced inhibition of actin remodeling also prevented the characteristic deformation of T cells that contact APCs and the release of cytotoxic granules. We showed that the effects of PD-1 on actin remodeling did not require its tyrosine-based signaling motifs, which are thought to mediate the co-inhibitory effects of PD-1. Our study highlights a previously unappreciated mechanism of PD-1–mediated suppression of T cell activity, which depends on the regulation of actin cytoskeleton dynamics in a signaling motif–independent manner.