Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 22, 2026

Studying Organelle Dynamics in B Cells During Immune Synapse Formation
15:39

Studying Organelle Dynamics in B Cells During Immune Synapse Formation

Published on: June 1, 2019

9.6K

Actomyosin-driven force patterning controls endocytosis at the immune synapse

Anita Kumari1,2, Judith Pineau1,2, Pablo J Sáez1

  • 1Institut Curie, PSL Research University, INSERM U932, 26 rue d'Ulm, 75248, Paris, Cedex 05, France.

Nature Communications
|June 30, 2019
PubMed

Insights

Mechanical forces at the immune synapse are patterned, with peripheral forces and central actin protrusions driving antigen uptake. This actomyosin cytoskeleton organization controls immune cell communication and endocytosis.

Area of Science:

  • Cell Biology
  • Immunology
  • Biophysics

Background:

  • Direct cell-to-cell contact is crucial for immune responses, exemplified by the immune synapse.
  • Mechanical forces are known to influence immune synapse function, but their organization and impact remain unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the spatial and temporal organization of mechanical forces at the immune synapse.
  • To determine how these forces impact synapse function, particularly antigen uptake and endocytosis.

Main Methods:

  • Live-cell imaging of the immune synapse.
  • Fluorescence microscopy to visualize F-actin and myosin II dynamics.
  • Force microscopy techniques to map mechanical forces.

Main Results:

  • Spatially patterned mechanical forces were identified: peripheral pulsatile myosin II-driven tangential forces and central localized forces from F-actin protrusions.
  • These force-producing actin protrusions are the primary sites for antigen extraction and endocytosis.
  • Myosin II contractility is essential for the formation of these force-generating actin protrusions.

Conclusions:

  • The actomyosin cytoskeleton organizes mechanical forces at the immune synapse.
  • The interplay between global and local forces dictates the control of endocytosis at the immune synapse.
  • Understanding force dynamics is key to deciphering immune synapse function.

More Related Videos

Control of Cell Adhesion using Hydrogel Patterning Techniques for Applications in Traction Force Microscopy12:26

Control of Cell Adhesion using Hydrogel Patterning Techniques for Applications in Traction Force Microscopy

Published on: January 29, 2022

6.3K
Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis of the Immune Synapse in the Human System Using Imaging Flow Cytometry08:35

Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis of the Immune Synapse in the Human System Using Imaging Flow Cytometry

Published on: January 7, 2019

12.2K

Related Concept Videos

The Synapse02:47

The Synapse

Neurons communicate with one another by passing on their electrical signals to other neurons. A synapse is the location where two neurons meet to exchange signals. At the synapse, the neuron that sends the signal is called the presynaptic cell, while the neuron that receives the message is called the postsynaptic cell. Note that most neurons can be both presynaptic and postsynaptic, as they both transmit and receive information.
132.8K
Receptor-mediated Endocytosis01:39

Receptor-mediated Endocytosis

Overview
110.6K
Receptor-mediated Endocytosis01:20

Receptor-mediated Endocytosis

Receptor-mediated endocytosis is when bulk amounts of specific molecules are imported into a cell after binding to cell surface receptors. The molecules bound to these receptors are taken into the cell through inward folding of the cell surface membrane, which is eventually pinched off into a vesicle within the cell. Structural proteins, such as clathrin, coat the budding vesicle.
Clathrin-Mediated Endocytosis of LDL
One well-characterized example of receptor-mediated endocytosis is the...
7.6K
Endocytosis01:16

Endocytosis

Eukaryotic cells acquire nutrients for growth and proliferation. Nutrients and other molecules that require degradation are internalized from the extracellular space by a process called endocytosis. The term ‘endocytosis' was first coined by Christian de Duve in 1963.
Endocytosis always begins with the plasma membrane enclosing an incoming molecule to form a transport vesicle which, in some cases, can be coated with a protein called ‘clathrin.' Endocytosed material is either...
12.3K
Electromotive Force02:36

Electromotive Force

Electricity is generated by either electrons or ions flowing through a solution or a conducting medium. This flow of electrons or specifically electrical charge is defined as an electric current. When electrons move through a wire, they generate an electric current. It can be recalled  that in a redox reaction, electrons are lost and gained. In the spontaneous redox reaction of zinc  with copper, when zinc is immersed in a copper ion solution, a transfer of electrons from one substance to...
29.8K
The Early Endosome: Endocytosis of Transferrin01:28

The Early Endosome: Endocytosis of Transferrin

Essential proteins such as insulin or low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and micronutrients such as iron enter a eukaryotic cell through receptor-mediated endocytosis. Subsequently, the early endosomes fuse with the vesicles containing such receptor-ligand complexes and play a vital role in sorting the incoming ligands and receptors. While the ligands are either degraded inside the vesicle or released into the cytosol, their receptors are returned to the plasma membrane for further rounds of...
4.7K