Editorial: Membrane lipids in T cell functions

Plasma membrane lipids play essential roles in regulating T cell signaling, differentiation, and effector functions. The major lipid species in the plasma membrane are glycerophospholipids, sphingolipids, and sterol lipids. TCR and costimulatory molecules lead to profound changes in the composition, distribution, and dynamic of plasma membrane lipids. For instance, cholesterol, sphingomyelin, and saturated phosphocholine are enriched at the contact zone between T cells and antigen-presenting cells during peptide/MHC complexes recognition, where they constitute a platform of lipid domains essential for optimal T cell signaling. Glycerophospholipid provide docking sites for binding pivotal signaling proteins as well as for their conformation, portioning, and mobility. Finally, plasma membrane lipids also act as second messengers with important immune-regulatory functions. This Research Topic contains seven articles that review the current understanding of the mechanisms and molecules involved in the metabolism and function of membrane lipids and how differences in their content may affect T cell functional properties.