細胞外的三磷酸腺苷（ eATP ）被廣泛用于細胞與細胞之間的交流。在環(huán)繞靜止態(tài)細胞周圍“暈輪”中的低濃度 eATP 則表明，鄰近有活細胞的存在,。eATP 的短暫增加被神經(jīng)和血管系統(tǒng)用來施放基本的生理信號,，而eATP 的較大幅度的增加則與細胞死亡有關(guān)，并被用作炎癥過程中的一個關(guān)鍵性的“危險”信號,。
在2009 年2 月3 日的一篇 Perspective 中,，A. Trautmann對兩則新的研究做了重點介紹。這些研究指出,，ATP 在免疫系統(tǒng)中也起著作用,。其中一個研究小組發(fā)現(xiàn)，eATP 向 T 細胞發(fā)出了協(xié)同刺激信號以易化對抗原的識別,；另外一個研究小組報道說,，由共生菌釋放的eATP 會驅(qū)使腸道的輔助性 T 細胞分化，而后者則參與介導(dǎo)針對傳染因子的炎癥反應(yīng),。引起這種現(xiàn)象的細胞網(wǎng)絡(luò)還有待人們發(fā)現(xiàn),。（生物谷Bioon.com）
生物谷推薦原始出處：
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.
