Linker for activation of T cells


The Linker for activation of T cells, also known as linker of activated T cells or LAT, is a protein which in humans is encoded by the LAT gene. Alternative splicing results in multiple transcript variants encoding different isoforms.

Function

The protein encoded by this gene is phosphorylated by ZAP70/Syk protein tyrosine kinases following activation of the T-cell antigen receptor signal transduction pathway. This transmembrane protein localizes to lipid rafts and acts as a docking site for SH2 domain-containing proteins. Upon phosphorylation, this protein recruits multiple adaptor proteins and downstream signaling molecules into multimolecular signaling complexes located near the site of TCR engagement.

Discovery

LAT was described in the early 1990s as a phosphoprotein of 36–38 kDa rapidly phosphorylated on tyrosine residues following TCR ligation. Cloning of the gene revealed that the protein product is a type III transmembrane protein of 262 aminoacids or 233 aminoacids in humans, 242 aminoacids in mouse, and 241 aminoacids in rat.

Interactions

The Linker for Activation of T cells has been shown to interact with: