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Decoding mechanoregulation in immunological synapses using biomimetic artificial cells

delete2026-08-11
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PRE
AI
X
Xiaolei Yu
V
Vincent Mukwaya *
M
Minxing Yue
S
Shuo Yang
李芊 cover
李芊 (Qian Li) *
W
Weili Zhao
樊春海 cover
樊春海 (Chunhai Fan)
L
Lin Wang
Y
Yingxi Zhao
H
Hongkai Yang
J
Jiacan Su
L
Li Wang *
窦红静 (Hongjing Dou) *
DOI:10.1038/s41592-026-03199-3delete
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Abstract

Abstract

En 中文
Mechanical force-driven signaling has emerged as a key regulator of cell–cell interactions (CCIs), which can enhance immune cell function. However, current biochemical approaches for studying CCIs offer minimal direct control over cellular bulk phenotypes, while synthetic biomaterial systems fail to mimic the dynamic complexity of cells. Here we introduce kpiCells, a biomaterial-based platform that uses a biomimetic membrane–endoplasmic architecture to enable finely tuned phenocopying of cellular states via modular mechanical, chemical and topographical inputs. We demonstrate that kpiCells can engage in physiological CCIs and reproduce critical subcellular features. In T cell systems, kpiCells enable integrated interrogation of afferent mechanosensing pathways and efferent force-exertion pathways, and support measurement of piconewton-scale forces at individual T cell antigen receptors as well as single cell–cell force fingerprints that define activation thresholds. This work establishes kpiCells as a bionic model that enables synthetic material design with the level of functional complexity approaching living cell systems. kpiCells are a biomimetic artificial cell system to investigate mechanoregulation in cell–cell interactions.

Journal

Nature Methods cover
Nature Methods
IF:
32.1
Papers:
7.2K
Citations:
12.7W

Organization

H
hebei senlang biotechnology
Scholars:
4
Papers: 1
Citations: 0
S
shanghai jiao tong university
Scholars:
15.1W
Papers: 11.5W
Citations: 159
S
shanghai jiao tong university school of medicine
Scholars:
1.1K
Papers: 278
Citations: 0
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