细胞外的三磷酸腺苷（ eATP ）被广泛用于细胞与细胞之间的交流。在环绕静止态细胞周围“晕轮”中的低浓度 eATP 则表明，邻近有活细胞的存在。eATP 的短暂增加被神经和血管系统用来施放基本的生理信号，而eATP 的较大幅度的增加则与细胞死亡有关，并被用作炎症过程中的一个关键性的“危险”信号。
在2009 年2 月3 日的一篇 Perspective 中，A. Trautmann对两则新的研究做了重点介绍。这些研究指出，ATP 在免疫系统中也起着作用。其中一个研究小组发现，eATP 向 T 细胞发出了协同刺激信号以易化对抗原的识别；另外一个研究小组报道说，由共生菌释放的eATP 会驱使肠道的辅助性 T 细胞分化，而后者则参与介导针对传染因子的炎症反应。引起这种现象的细胞网络还有待人们发现。（生物谷Bioon.com）
生物谷推荐原始出处：
Sci. Signal., 3 February 2009 DOI: 10.1126/scisignal.256pe6
Extracellular ATP in the Immune System: More Than Just a "Danger Signal"
Alain Trautmann
Institut Cochin, Université Paris Descartes, CNRS (UMR 8104), Paris, France. Inserm, U567, Paris, France.
Abstract: Extracellular adenosine 5'-triphosphate (eATP) is ubiquitously used for cell-to-cell communication. The low concentration of eATP ([eATP]) that exists in a "halo" surrounding resting cells signals the presence of neighboring living cells. Transient increases in [eATP] are used for basic physiological signaling, namely, in the nervous and vascular systems. Larger increases in [eATP] that are associated with cell death serve as a key "danger" signal in inflammatory processes. Two studies now point to roles for ATP in the immune system: providing a costimulatory signal to T cells and driving the differentiation of intestinal T helper 17 (TH17) cells.
