Systems-level imaging reveals assembly and synaptic delivery of a multi-organelle ensemble during T cell killing

Calcium signaling promotes staged formation of a multi-organelle ensemble in cytotoxic T lymphocytes, enabling coordinated translocation from centrosome-proximal clustering to synaptic delivery.

• Why it matters: The spatial and temporal coordination of multiple secretory organelles during CTL killing is unclear, limiting understanding of how immune synapses organize intracellular delivery.
• What they did: Using multispectral super-resolution microscopy and volumetric live-cell imaging, the study tracked organelle interactions in CTLs contacting targets, linking perinuclear ER contact initiation to calcium-driven clustering near the centrosome.
• The result: Organelle contacts shift from ER-dominated to Golgi-dominated as organelles reach the synapse, supporting a calcium-driven, staged assembly model for CTL polarity and effector delivery.

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