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Traction Force Microscopy to Study B Lymphocyte Activation
Published on: July 23, 2020
Quantifying Immune Cell Force Generation Using Traction Force Microscopy
Marcel Issler1,2, Huw Colin-York1, Marco Fritzsche3,4
1Kennedy Institute for Rheumatology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
Immune cells rely on the generation of mechanical force to carry out their function. Consequently, there is a pressing need for quantitative methodologies that permit the probing of the spatio-temporal distribution of mechanical forces generated by immune cells. In this chapter, we provide a guide to quantify immune cell force generation using traction force microscopy (TFM), with a specific focus on its application to the study of the T-cell immunological synapse.
Immune cells rely on the generation of mechanical force to carry out their function. Consequently, there is a pressing need for quantitative methodologies that permit the probing of the spatio-temporal distribution of mechanical forces generated by immune cells. In this chapter, we provide a guide to quantify immune cell force generation using traction force microscopy (TFM), with a specific focus on its application to the study of the T-cell immunological synapse.
