T cell activation after contact with an antigen-presenting cell depends on the regulated assembly of the T cell receptor signaling complex, which involves the polarized assembly of a stable, raft-like macrodomain surrounding engaged T cell receptors. Here we show that the preformed reggie/flotillin caps present in resting T cells act as priming platforms for macrodomain assembly. Preformed reggie-1/flotillin-2 caps are exceptionally stable, as shown by fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP). Upon T cell stimulation, signaling molecules are recruited to the stable reggie/flotillin caps. Importantly, a trans-negative reggie-1/flotillin-2 deletion mutant, which interferes with assembly of the preformed reggie/flotillin cap, impairs raft polarization and macrodomain formation after T cell activation. Accordingly, expression of the trans-negative reggie-1 mutant leads to the incorrect positioning of the guanine nucleotide exchange factor Vav, resulting in defects in cytoskeletal reorganization. Thus, the preformed reggie/flotillin caps are stable priming platforms for the assembly of multiprotein complexes controlling actin reorganization during T cell activation.

Key words: lipid rafts • signal transduction • T cell activation • actin cytoskeleton • raft clustering