Lipid rafts mediate biosynthetic transport to the T lymphocyte uropod subdomain and are necessary for uropod integrity and function.

Polarized migrating T cells possess 2 poles, the uropod protrusion at the rear and the leading edge at the front, with specific protein composition and function. The influenza virus hemagglutinin (HA) is a prototypical molecule that uses lipid rafts for biosynthetic transport to the apical surface in polarized epithelial Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells. In this study, HA was used as a tool to investigate the role of lipid rafts in vectorial protein traffic in polarized T lymphocytes. Results show that newly synthesized HA becomes selectively targeted to the uropod subdomain in polarized T lymphoblasts. HA incorporates into rafts soon after biosynthesis, suggesting that delivery of HA to the uropod occurs through a pathway of transport reminiscent of that used for its specific targeting to the apical surface. HA and the adhesion molecules, intercellular adhesion molecule 3 (ICAM-3), CD44, and CD43, 3 endogenous uropod markers, were detected in surface rafts of T lymphoblasts. Cholesterol, a major component of lipid rafts, was predominantly located in the uropod. Disruption of lipid raft integrity by cholesterol sequestration produced unclustering of ICAM-3 and the loss of uropodia and severely impaired processes that require a polarized phenotype such as intercellular aggregation and cell migration. Collectively, these results indicate that lipid rafts constitute a route for selective targeting of proteins to the uropod and that the rafts are essential for the generation, maintenance, and functionality of T-cell anteroposterior polarity.