Cytoskeletal forces are implicated in T-cell–receptor activation, but their determinants are not known. Traction force microscopy was used to measure forces generated during T-cell activation. Whereas actin dynamics were essential for force generation, myosin contractility played a limited role. T-cells were also found to be mechanosensitive.
The activation of the B-cell receptor (BCR), which initiates B-cell activation, is triggered by antigen-induced self-aggregation and clustering of receptors at the cell surface. While antigen-induced actin reorganization is known to be involved in BCR clustering in response to membrane-associated antigen, the underlying mechanism that links actin reorganization to BCR activation remains unknown. Here we show that both the stimulatory Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (Btk) and the inhibitory SH2-containing inositol-5 phosphatase-1 (SHIP-1) are required for efficient BCR self-aggregation. In Btk-deficient B cells, the magnitude of BCR aggregation into clusters and B-cell spreading in response to antigen-tethered lipid bilayer is drastically reduced, compared to that observed in wild type B-cells. In SHIP-1−/− B-cells, while surface BCRs aggregate into microclusters, the centripetal movement and growth of BCR clusters are inhibited and B-cell spreading is increased. The persistent BCR microclusters in SHIP−/− B-cells exhibit higher levels of signaling than merged BCR clusters. Contrast to the inhibition of actin remodeling in Btk-deficient B-cells, actin polymerization, F-actin accumulation, and WASP phosphorylation are enhanced in SHIP-1−/− B-cells in a Btk-dependent manner. Thus, a balance between positive and negative signaling regulates the spatiotemporal organization of the BCR at the cell surface by controlling actin remodeling, which potentially regulates the signal transduction of the BCR. This study suggests a novel feedback loop between BCR signaling and the actin cytoskeleton.
T-cell receptor (TCR) triggering and subsequent T-cell activation are essential for the adaptive immune response. Recently, multiple lines of evidence have shown that force transduction across the TCR complex is involved during TCR triggering, and that the T cell might use its force-generation machinery to probe the mechanical properties of the opposing antigen-presenting cell, giving rise to different signaling and physiological responses. Mechanistically, actin polymerization and turnover have been shown to be essential for force generation by T cells, but how these actin dynamics are regulated spatiotemporally remains poorly understood. Here, we report that traction forces generated by T cells are regulated by dynamic microtubules (MTs) at the interface. These MTs suppress Rho activation, nonmuscle myosin II bipolar filament assembly, and actin retrograde flow at the T-cell-substrate interface. Our results suggest a novel role of the MT cytoskeleton in regulating force generation during T-cell activation.T lymphocytes, central players in the adaptive immune response, are activated when T-cell receptors (TCRs) on their surface recognize cognate peptide-major histocompatibility complex (pMHC) expressed on the surface of antigen-presenting cells (APCs). A burst of actin polymerization is triggered upon TCR stimulation (1), leading to an enhancement of the cell/APC contact area as the T cell spreads over the surface of the APC (2) and the formation of a macromolecular protein assembly known as the immunological synapse (IS) (3, 4). Accompanying IS formation, T cells also undergo a rapid polarization of the microtubule (MT) cytoskeleton, within 1-2 min after initial contact, that facilitates directional secretion of cytokines and cytolytic factors toward the APC (5-7). Therefore, the contact zone between T cells and APCs is a site at which the MT and actin cytoskeletons could potentially interact to regulate signaling.Recent studies have established that T cells generate significant traction stresses at the cell-cell interface, albeit relatively weak compared with adherent cells (8-11). These forces, which peak 5-10 min after stimulation, facilitate T-cell activation, in part, by inducing conformational changes in the TCR-CD3 complex (12-15). Although actin polymerization/depolymerization dynamics are essential for T cells to maintain dynamic traction stresses and to drive calcium influx and integrin affinity maturation (9, 16, 17), the regulatory pathways that control these cytoskeletal forces are not completely understood. In particular, whether and how the polarized MT cytoskeleton interacts with the actin cytoskeleton and regulates force generation at the T-cell-APC contact remain open questions.MTs in the cell exist in two populations: dynamic/tyrosinated MTs and stable MTs that have undergone posttranslational modifications, including detyrosination and acetylation (18). Previous studies of T-cell activation have elucidated that microtubuleorganizing center (MTOC) translocation is associated with the formati...
Highlights d Developed a compact minimally invasive photoaffinity ATP (mipATP) probe d mipATP retains the signaling functions of native ATP in vivo and in vitro
The morphology and duration of contacts between cells and adhesive surfaces play a key role in several biological processes, such as cell migration, cell differentiation, and the immune response. The interaction of receptors on the cell membrane with ligands on the adhesive surface leads to triggering of signaling pathways, which allow cytoskeletal rearrangement, and large-scale deformation of the cell membrane, which allows the cell to spread over the substrate. Despite numerous studies of cell spreading, the nanometer-scale dynamics of the membrane during formation of contacts, spreading, and initiation of signaling are not well understood. Using interference reflection microscopy, we study the kinetics of cell spreading at the micron scale, as well as the topography and fluctuations of the membrane at the nanometer scale during spreading of Jurkat T cells on antibody-coated substrates. We observed two modes of spreading, which were characterized by dramatic differences in membrane dynamics and topography. Formation of signaling clusters was closely related to the movement and morphology of the membrane in contact with the activating surface. Our results suggest that cell membrane morphology may be a critical constraint on signaling at the cell-substrate interface.
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