Notch signalling in T cell homeostasis and differentiation

The evolutionarily conserved Notch signalling pathway regulates the differentiation and function of mature T lymphocytes with major context-dependent consequences in host defence, autoimmunity and alloimmunity. The emerging effects of Notch signalling in T cell responses build upon a more established role for Notch in T cell development. Here, we provide a critical review of this burgeoning literature to make sense of what has been learned so far and highlight the experimental strategies that have been most useful in gleaning physiologically relevant information. We outline the functional consequences of Notch signalling in mature T cells in addition to key specific Notch ligand–receptor interactions and downstream molecular signalling pathways. Our goal is to help clarify future directions for this expanding body of work and the best approaches to answer important open questions.