Excitable systems: A new perspective on the cellular impact of elongate mineral particles

We investigate how the geometry of elongate mineral particles (EMPs) in contact with cells influences esotaxis, a recently discovered mechanism of texture sensing. Esotaxis is based on cytoskeletal waves and oscillations that are nucleated, shaped, and steered by the texture of the surroundings. We find that all EMPs studied trigger an esotactic response in macrophages, and that this response dominates cytoskeletal activity in these immune cells. In contrast, epithelial cells show little to no esotactic response to the EMPs. These results are consistent with the distinct interactions of both cell types with ridged nanotopographies of dimensions comparable to those of asbestiform EMPs. Our findings raise the question of whether narrow, asbestiform EMPs may also dominate cytoskeletal activity in other types of immune cells that exhibit similar esotactic effects. These findings, together with prior studies of esotaxis, lead us to the hypothesis that asbestiform EMPs suppress the migration of immune cells and activate immune signaling, thereby outcompeting signals that would normally stimulate the immune system in nearby tissue.