Keratocytes migrate against flow with a roly-poly-like mechanism.

While cell migration can be directed by various mechanical cues such as force, deformation, stiffness, or flow, the associated mechanisms and functions may remain elusive. Single cell migration against flow, repeatedly reported with leukocytes, is arguably considered as active and mediated by integrin mechanotransduction, or passive and determined by a mechanical bias. Here, we reveal a phenotype of flow mechanotaxis with fish epithelial keratocytes that orient upstream or downstream at shear stresses around tens of dyn cm-2. We show that each cell has an intrinsic orientation that results from the mechanical interaction of flow with its morphology. The bulbous trailing edge of a keratocyte generates a hydrodynamical torque under flow that stabilizes an upstream orientation, just as the heavy lower edge of a roly-poly toy generates a gravitational torque that stabilizes an upright position. In turn, the wide and flat leading edge of keratocytes destabilizes upstream orientation, allowing the existence of two distinct phenotypes. To formalize these observations, we propose a simple mechanical model that considers keratocyte morphology as a hemisphere preceded by a wide thin sheet. Our findings show that this model can recapitulate the phase diagram of single cell orientation under flow without adjustable parameters. From a larger perspective, this passive mechanism of keratocytes flow mechanotaxis implies a potential absence of physiological function and evolution-driven process.

ARHGAP45 controls naïve T- and B-cell entry into lymph nodes and T-cell progenitor thymus seeding.

T and B cells continually recirculate between blood and secondary lymphoid organs. To promote their trans-endothelial migration (TEM), chemokine receptors control the activity of RHO family small GTPases in part via GTPase-activating proteins (GAPs). T and B cells express several RHO-GAPs, the function of most of which remains unknown. The ARHGAP45 GAP is predominantly expressed in hematopoietic cells. To define its in vivo function, we describe two mouse models where ARHGAP45 is ablated systemically or selectively in T cells. We combine their analysis with affinity purification coupled to mass spectrometry to determine the ARHGAP45 interactome in T cells and with time-lapse and reflection interference contrast microscopy to assess the role of ARGHAP45 in T-cell polarization and motility. We demonstrate that ARHGAP45 regulates naïve T-cell deformability and motility. Under physiological conditions, ARHGAP45 controls the entry of naïve T and B cells into lymph nodes whereas under competitive repopulation it further regulates hematopoietic progenitor cell engraftment in the bone marrow, and T-cell progenitor thymus seeding. Therefore, the ARGHAP45 GAP controls multiple key steps in the life of T and B cells.

Lymphocytes perform reverse adhesive haptotaxis mediated by LFA-1 integrins.

Cell guidance by anchored molecules, or haptotaxis, is crucial in development, immunology and cancer. Adhesive haptotaxis, or guidance by adhesion molecules, is well established for mesenchymal cells such as fibroblasts, whereas its existence remains unreported for amoeboid cells that require less or no adhesion in order to migrate. We show that, in vitro, amoeboid human T lymphocytes develop adhesive haptotaxis mediated by densities of integrin ligands expressed by high endothelial venules. Moreover, lymphocytes orient towards increasing adhesion with VLA-4 integrins (also known as integrin α4ß1), like all mesenchymal cells, but towards decreasing adhesion with LFA-1 integrins (also known as integrin αLß4), which has not previously been observed. This counterintuitive 'reverse haptotaxis' cannot be explained by existing mechanisms of mesenchymal haptotaxis involving either competitive anchoring of cell edges under tension or differential integrin-activated growth of lamellipodia, because they both favor orientation towards increasing adhesion. The mechanisms and functions of amoeboid adhesive haptotaxis remain unclear; however, multidirectional integrin-mediated haptotaxis might operate around transmigration ports on endothelia, stromal cells in lymph nodes, and inflamed tissue where integrin ligands are spatially modulated.

Human neutrophils swim and phagocytise bacteria.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION: Leukocytes migrate in an amoeboid fashion while patrolling our organism in the search for infection or tissue damage. Their capacity to migrate has been proven integrin independent, however, non-specific adhesion or confinement remain a requisite in current models of cell migration. This idea has been challenged twice within the last decade with human neutrophils and effector T lymphocytes, which were shown to migrate in free suspension, a phenomenon termed swimming. While the relevance of leukocyte swimming in vivo remains under judgment, a growing amount of clinical evidence demonstrates that leukocytes are indeed found in liquid-filled body cavities, occasionally with phagocyted pathogens, such as in the amniotic fluid, the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), or the eye vitreous and aqueous humor. RESULTS: We studied in vitro swimming of primary human neutrophils in the presence of live bacteria, in 2 and 3 dimensions. We show that swimming neutrophils perform phagocytosis of bacteria in suspension. By micropatterning live bacteria on a substrate with an optical technique, we further prove that they use chemotaxis to swim towards their targets. Moreover, we provide evidence that neutrophil navigation can alternate between adherent and non-adherent modes. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that human neutrophils do not rely on adhesion to carry out their functions, supporting a versatile phagocytic function adaptable to the various environmental conditions encountered in vivo, as already suggested by clinical data. SIGNIFICANCE: We verified a claim stated 10 years ago and never reproduced, on the capacity of human neutrophils to swim and perform swimming chemotaxis. We further extended those results to prove that swimming neutrophils can phagocytise bacteria, disregarding adhesion nor confinement as a requisite for accomplishing their function, which differs with current paradigms of leukocyte migration.

The mechanism of force transmission at bacterial focal adhesion complexes.

Various rod-shaped bacteria mysteriously glide on surfaces in the absence of appendages such as flagella or pili. In the deltaproteobacterium Myxococcus xanthus, a putative gliding motility machinery (the Agl-Glt complex) localizes to so-called focal adhesion sites (FASs) that form stationary contact points with the underlying surface. Here we show that the Agl-Glt machinery contains an inner-membrane motor complex that moves intracellularly along a right-handed helical path; when the machinery becomes stationary at FASs, the motor complex powers a left-handed rotation of the cell around its long axis. At FASs, force transmission requires cyclic interactions between the molecular motor and the adhesion proteins of the outer membrane via a periplasmic interaction platform, which presumably involves contractile activity of motor components and possible interactions with peptidoglycan. Our results provide a molecular model of bacterial gliding motility.

Leukocyte transmigration and longitudinal forward-thrusting force in a microfluidic Transwell device.

Transmigration of leukocytes across blood vessels walls is a critical step of the immune response. Transwell assays examine transmigration properties in vitro by counting cells passages through a membrane; however, the difficulty of in situ imaging hampers a clear disentanglement of the roles of adhesion, chemokinesis, and chemotaxis. We used here microfluidic Transwells to image the cells' transition from 2D migration on a surface to 3D migration in a confining microchannel and measure cells longitudinal forward-thrusting force in microchannels. Primary human effector T lymphocytes adhering with integrins LFA-1 (αLß2) had a marked propensity to transmigrate in Transwells without chemotactic cue. Both adhesion and contractility were important to overcome the critical step of nucleus penetration but were remarkably dispensable for 3D migration in smooth microchannels deprived of topographic features. Transmigration in smooth channels was qualitatively consistent with a propulsion by treadmilling of cell envelope and squeezing of cell trailing edge. Stalling conditions of 3D migration were then assessed by imposing pressure drops across microchannels. Without specific adhesion, the cells slid backward with subnanonewton forces, showing that 3D migration under stress is strongly limited by a lack of adhesion and friction with channels. With specific LFA-1 mediated adhesion, stalling occurred at around 3 and 6 nN in 2 × 4 and 4 × 4 µm2 channels, respectively, supporting that stalling of adherent cells was under pressure control rather than force control. The stall pressure of 4 mbar is consistent with the pressure of actin filament polymerization that mediates lamellipod growth. The arrest of adherent cells under stress therefore seems controlled by the compression of the cell leading edge, which perturbs cells front-rear polarization and triggers adhesion failure or polarization reversal. Although stalling assays in microfluidic Transwells do not mimic in vivo transmigration, they provide a powerful tool to scrutinize 2D and 3D migration, barotaxis, and chemotaxis.

A Bistable Mechanism Mediated by Integrins Controls Mechanotaxis of Leukocytes.

Recruitment of leukocytes from blood vessels to inflamed zones is guided by biochemical and mechanical stimuli, with the mechanisms only partially deciphered. Here, we studied the guidance by the flow of primary human effector T lymphocytes crawling on substrates coated with ligands of integrins lymphocyte function-associated antigen 1 (LFA-1) (αLß2) and very late antigen 4 (VLA-4) (α4ß1). We reveal that cells segregate in two populations of opposite orientation for combined adhesion and show that decisions of orientation rely on a bistable mechanism between LFA-1-mediated upstream and VLA-4-mediated downstream phenotypes. At the molecular level, bistability results from a differential front-rear polarization of both integrin affinities, combined with an inhibiting cross talk of LFA-1 toward VLA-4. At the cellular level, direction is determined by the passive, flow-mediated orientation of the nonadherent cell parts, the rear uropod for upstream migration, and the front lamellipod for downstream migration. This chain of logical events provides a comprehensive mechanism of guiding, from stimuli to cell orientation.

Amoeboid Swimming Is Propelled by Molecular Paddling in Lymphocytes.

Mammalian cells developed two main migration modes. The slow mesenchymatous mode, like crawling of fibroblasts, relies on maturation of adhesion complexes and actin fiber traction, whereas the fast amoeboid mode, observed exclusively for leukocytes and cancer cells, is characterized by weak adhesion, highly dynamic cell shapes, and ubiquitous motility on two-dimensional and in three-dimensional solid matrix. In both cases, interactions with the substrate by adhesion or friction are widely accepted as a prerequisite for mammalian cell motility, which precludes swimming. We show here experimental and computational evidence that leukocytes do swim, and that efficient propulsion is not fueled by waves of cell deformation but by a rearward and inhomogeneous treadmilling of the cell external membrane. Our model consists of a molecular paddling by transmembrane proteins linked to and advected by the actin cortex, whereas freely diffusing transmembrane proteins hinder swimming. Furthermore, continuous paddling is enabled by a combination of external treadmilling and selective recycling by internal vesicular transport of cortex-bound transmembrane proteins. This mechanism explains observations that swimming is five times slower than the retrograde flow of cortex and also that lymphocytes are motile in nonadherent confined environments. Resultantly, the ubiquitous ability of mammalian amoeboid cells to migrate in two dimensions or three dimensions and with or without adhesion can be explained for lymphocytes by a single machinery of heterogeneous membrane treadmilling.

Three-dimensional imaging with reflection synthetic confocal microscopy.

Biomedical imaging lacks label-free microscopy techniques able to reconstruct the contour of biological cells in solution, in 3D and with high resolution, as required for the fast diagnosis of numerous diseases. Inspired by computational optical coherence tomography techniques, we present a tomographic diffractive microscope in reflection geometry used as a synthetic confocal microscope, compatible with this goal and validated with the 3D reconstruction of a human effector T lymphocyte.

The leukocyte-stiffening property of plasma in early acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) revealed by a microfluidic single-cell study: the role of cytokines and protection with antibodies.

BACKGROUND: Leukocyte-mediated pulmonary inflammation is a key pathophysiological mechanism involved in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Massive sequestration of leukocytes in the pulmonary microvasculature is a major triggering event of the syndrome. We therefore investigated the potential role of leukocyte stiffness and adhesiveness in the sequestration of leukocytes in microvessels. METHODS: This study was based on in vitro microfluidic assays using patient sera. Cell stiffness was assessed by measuring the entry time (ET) of a single cell into a microchannel with a 6 × 9-µm cross-section under a constant pressure drop (ΔP = 160 Pa). Primary neutrophils and monocytes, as well as the monocytic THP-1 cell line, were used. Cellular adhesiveness to human umbilical vein endothelial cells was examined using the laminar flow chamber method. We compared the properties of cells incubated with the sera of healthy volunteers (n = 5), patients presenting with acute cardiogenic pulmonary edema (ACPE; n = 6), and patients with ARDS (n = 22), of whom 13 were classified as having moderate to severe disease and the remaining 9 as having mild disease. RESULTS: Rapid and strong stiffening of primary neutrophils and monocytes was induced within 30 minutes (mean ET >50 seconds) by sera from the ARDS group compared with both the healthy subjects and the ACPE groups (mean ET <1 second) (p < 0.05). Systematic measurements with the THP-1 cell line allowed for the establishment of a strong correlation between stiffening and the severity of respiratory status (mean ET 0.82 ± 0.08 seconds for healthy subjects, 1.6 ± 1.0 seconds for ACPE groups, 10.5 ± 6.1 seconds for mild ARDS, and 20.0 ± 8.1 seconds for moderate to severe ARDS; p < 0.05). Stiffening correlated with the cytokines interleukin IL-1ß, IL-8, tumor necrosis factor TNF-α, and IL-10 but not with interferon-γ, transforming growth factor-ß, IL-6, or IL-17. Strong stiffening was induced by IL-1ß, IL-8, and TNF-α but not by IL-10, and incubations with sera and blocking antibodies against IL-1ß, IL-8, or TNF-α significantly diminished the stiffening effect of serum. In contrast, the measurements of integrin expression (CD11b, CD11a, CD18, CD49d) and leukocyte-endothelium adhesion showed a weak and slow response after incubation with the sera of patients with ARDS (several hours), suggesting a lesser role of leukocyte adhesiveness compared with leukocyte stiffness in early ARDS. CONCLUSIONS: The leukocyte stiffening induced by cytokines in the sera of patients might play a role in the sequestration of leukocytes in the lung capillary beds during early ARDS. The inhibition of leukocyte stiffening with blocking antibodies might inspire future therapeutic strategies.

ROZA-XL, an improved FRET based biosensor with an increased dynamic range for visualizing zeta associated protein 70 kD (ZAP-70) tyrosine kinase activity in live T cells.

Genetically encoded FRET based biosensors allow one to visualize the spatial and temporal evolution of specific enzyme activities in live cells. We have previously reported the creation of a FRET based biosensor specific for Zeta-Associated Protein -70 kD (ZAP-70) (Randriamampita et al., 2008), a Syk family protein tyrosine kinase. ZAP-70 is essential for early T cell receptor (TCR) signaling events, T lymphocyte development and has also been implicated in integrin mediated T lymphocyte migration. In order to facilitate the study of ZAP-70 kinase activity during dynamic phenomena such as immunological synapse formation or cell migration, we have designed and prepared a second generation of ZAP-70 specific biosensors. Here we describe a novel biosensor named ROZA-XL, that displays a 3-4 times greater dynamic range than its predecessor and possesses a robust baseline FRET value when expressed in the Jurkat human T cell line. We demonstrate that the robust behavior of this biosensor allows for rapid analysis of TCR mediated of ZAP-70 kinase activity at a single cell level, as shown in a simple end point assay in which ROZA-XL expressing cells are allowed to interact with stimulatory anti-CD3epsilon coated coverslips.

Droplets in Microchannels: Dynamical Properties of the Lubrication Film.

We study the motion of droplets in a confined, micrometric geometry, by focusing on the lubrication film between a droplet and a wall. When capillary forces dominate, the lubrication film thickness evolves nonlinearly with the capillary number due to the viscous dissipation between the meniscus and the wall. However, this film may become thin enough (tens of nanometers) that intermolecular forces come into play and affect classical scalings. Our experiments yield highly resolved topographies of the shape of the interface and allow us to bring new insights into droplet dynamics in microfluidics. We report the novel characterization of two dynamical regimes as the capillary number increases: (i) at low capillary numbers, the film thickness is constant and set by the disjoining pressure, while (ii) above a critical capillary number, the interface behavior is well described by a viscous scenario. At a high surfactant concentration, structural effects lead to the formation of patterns on the interface, which can be used to trace the interface velocity, that yield direct confirmation of the boundary condition in the viscous regime.

Wet-surface-enhanced ellipsometric contrast microscopy identifies slime as a major adhesion factor during bacterial surface motility.

In biology, the extracellular matrix (ECM) promotes both cell adhesion and specific recognition, which is essential for central developmental processes in both eukaryotes and prokaryotes. However, live studies of the dynamic interactions between cells and the ECM, for example during motility, have been greatly impaired by imaging limitations: mostly the ability to observe the ECM at high resolution in absence of specific staining by live microscopy. To solve this problem, we developed a unique technique, wet-surface enhanced ellipsometry contrast (Wet-SEEC), which magnifies the contrast of transparent organic materials deposited on a substrate (called Wet-surf) with exquisite sensitivity. We show that Wet-SEEC allows both the observation of unprocessed nanofilms as low as 0.2 nm thick and their accurate 3D topographic reconstructions, directly by standard light microscopy. We next used Wet-SEEC to image slime secretion, a poorly defined property of many prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms that move across solid surfaces in absence of obvious extracellular appendages (gliding). Using combined Wet-SEEC and fluorescent-staining experiments, we observed slime deposition by gliding Myxococcus xanthus cells at unprecedented resolution. Altogether, the results revealed that in this bacterium, slime associates preferentially with the outermost components of the motility machinery and promotes its adhesion to the substrate on the ventral side of the cell. Strikingly, analogous roles have been proposed for the extracellular proteoglycans of gliding diatoms and apicomplexa, suggesting that slime deposition is a general means for gliding organisms to adhere and move over surfaces.

T lymphocytes orient against the direction of fluid flow during LFA-1-mediated migration.

As they leave the blood stream and travel to lymph nodes or sites of inflammation, T lymphocytes are captured by the endothelium and migrate along the vascular wall to permissive sites of transmigration. These processes take place under the influence of hemodynamic shear stress; therefore, we investigated how migrational speed and directionality are influenced by variations in shear stress. We examined human effector T lymphocytes on intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1)-coated surfaces under the influence of shear stresses from 2 to 60 dyn.cm(-2). T lymphocytes were shown to respond to shear stress application by a rapid (30 s) and fully reversible orientation of their migration against the fluid flow without a change in migration speed. Primary T lymphocytes migrating on ICAM-1 in the presence of uniformly applied SDF-1α were also found to migrate against the direction of shear flow. In sharp contrast, neutrophils migrating in the presence of uniformly applied fMLP and leukemic HSB2 T lymphocytes migrating on ICAM-1 alone oriented their migration downstream, with the direction of fluid flow. Our findings suggest that, in addition to biochemical cues, shear stress is a contributing factor to leukocyte migration directionality.

Naive T lymphocytes chemotax long distance to CCL21 but not to a source of bioactive S1P.

Naive T lymphocytes traffic through the organism in search for antigen, alternating between blood and secondary lymphoid organs. Lymphocyte homing to lymph nodes relies on CCL21 chemokine sensing by CCR7 receptors, while exit into efferent lymphatics relies on sphingolipid S1P sensing by S1PR1 receptors. While both molecules are claimed chemotactic, a quantitative analysis of naive T lymphocyte migration along defined gradients is missing. Here, we used a reductionist approach to study the real-time single-cell response of naive T lymphocytes to CCL21 and serum rich in bioactive S1P. Using microfluidic and micropatterning ad hoc tools, we show that CCL21 triggers stable polarization and long-range chemotaxis of cells, whereas S1P-rich serum triggers a transient polarization only and no significant displacement, potentially representing a brief transmigration step through exit portals. Our in vitro data thus suggest that naive T lymphocyte chemotax long distances to CCL21 but not toward a source of bioactive S1P.

Tension-driven multi-scale self-organisation in human iPSC-derived muscle fibers.

Human muscle is a hierarchically organised tissue with its contractile cells called myofibers packed into large myofiber bundles. Each myofiber contains periodic myofibrils built by hundreds of contractile sarcomeres that generate large mechanical forces. To better understand the mechanisms that coordinate human muscle morphogenesis from tissue to molecular scales, we adopted a simple in vitro system using induced pluripotent stem cell-derived human myogenic precursors. When grown on an unrestricted two-dimensional substrate, developing myofibers spontaneously align and self-organise into higher-order myofiber bundles, which grow and consolidate to stable sizes. Following a transcriptional boost of sarcomeric components, myofibrils assemble into chains of periodic sarcomeres that emerge across the entire myofiber. More efficient myofiber bundling accelerates the speed of sarcomerogenesis suggesting that tension generated by bundling promotes sarcomerogenesis. We tested this hypothesis by directly probing tension and found that tension build-up precedes sarcomere assembly and increases within each assembling myofibril. Furthermore, we found that myofiber ends stably attach to other myofibers using integrin-based attachments and thus myofiber bundling coincides with stable myofiber bundle attachment in vitro. A failure in stable myofiber attachment results in a collapse of the myofibrils. Overall, our results strongly suggest that mechanical tension across sarcomeric components as well as between differentiating myofibers is key to coordinate the multi-scale self-organisation of muscle morphogenesis.

Controlling T cells spreading, mechanics and activation by micropatterning.

We designed a strategy, based on a careful examination of the activation capabilities of proteins and antibodies used as substrates for adhering T cells, coupled to protein microstamping to control at the same time the position, shape, spreading, mechanics and activation state of T cells. Once adhered on patterns, we examined the capacities of T cells to be activated with soluble anti CD3, in comparison to T cells adhered to a continuously decorated substrate with the same density of ligands. We show that, in our hand, adhering onto an anti CD45 antibody decorated surface was not affecting T cell calcium fluxes, even adhered on variable size micro-patterns. Aside, we analyzed the T cell mechanics, when spread on pattern or not, using Atomic Force Microscopy indentation. By expressing MEGF10 as a non immune adhesion receptor in T cells we measured the very same spreading area on PLL substrates and Young modulus than non modified cells, immobilized on anti CD45 antibodies, while retaining similar activation capabilities using soluble anti CD3 antibodies or through model APC contacts. We propose that our system is a way to test activation or anergy of T cells with defined adhesion and mechanical characteristics, and may allow to dissect fine details of these mechanisms since it allows to observe homogenized populations in standardized T cell activation assays.

Collective migration during a gap closure in a two-dimensional haptotactic model.

The ability of cells to respond to substrate-bound protein gradients is crucial for many physiological processes, such as immune response, neurogenesis and cancer cell migration. However, the difficulty to produce well-controlled protein gradients has long been a limitation to our understanding of collective cell migration in response to haptotaxis. Here we use a photopatterning technique to create circular, square and linear fibronectin (FN) gradients on two-dimensional (2D) culture substrates. We observed that epithelial cells spread preferentially on zones of higher FN density, creating rounded or elongated gaps within epithelial tissues over circular or linear FN gradients, respectively. Using time-lapse experiments, we demonstrated that the gap closure mechanism in a 2D haptotaxis model requires a significant increase of the leader cell area. In addition, we found that gap closures are slower on decreasing FN densities than on homogenous FN-coated substrate and that fresh closed gaps are characterized by a lower cell density. Interestingly, our results showed that cell proliferation increases in the closed gap region after maturation to restore the cell density, but that cell-cell adhesive junctions remain weaker in scarred epithelial zones. Taken together, our findings provide a better understanding of the wound healing process over protein gradients, which are reminiscent of haptotaxis.

Functional Mapping of Adhesiveness on Live Cells Reveals How Guidance Phenotypes Can Emerge From Complex Spatiotemporal Integrin Regulation.

Immune cells have the ubiquitous capability to migrate disregarding the adhesion properties of the environment, which requires a versatile adaptation of their adhesiveness mediated by integrins, a family of specialized adhesion proteins. Each subtype of integrins has several ligands and several affinity states controlled by internal and external stimuli. However, probing cell adhesion properties on live cells without perturbing cell motility is highly challenging, especially in vivo. Here, we developed a novel in vitro method using micron-size beads pulled by flow to functionally probe the local surface adhesiveness of live and motile cells. This method allowed a functional mapping of the adhesiveness mediated by VLA-4 and LFA-1 integrins on the trailing and leading edges of live human T lymphocytes. We show that cell polarization processes enhance integrin-mediated adhesiveness toward cell rear for VLA-4 and cell front for LFA-1. Furthermore, an inhibiting crosstalk of LFA-1 toward VLA-4 and an activating crosstalk of VLA-4 toward LFA-1 were found to modulate cell adhesiveness with a long-distance effect across the cell. These combined signaling processes directly support the bistable model that explains the emergence of the versatile guidance of lymphocyte under flow. Molecularly, Sharpin, an LFA-1 inhibitor in lymphocyte uropod, was found involved in the LFA-1 deadhesion of lymphocytes; however, both Sharpin and Myosin inhibition had a rather modest impact on adhesiveness. Quantitative 3D immunostaining identified high-affinity LFA-1 and VLA-4 densities at around 50 and 100 molecules/µm2 in basal adherent zones, respectively. Interestingly, a latent adhesiveness of dorsal zones was not grasped by immunostaining but assessed by direct functional assays with beads. The combination of live functional assays, molecular imaging, and genome editing is instrumental to characterizing the spatiotemporal regulation of integrin-mediated adhesiveness at molecular and cell scales, which opens a new perspective to decipher sophisticated phenotypes of motility and guidance.

A simple microfluidic method to select, isolate, and manipulate single-cells in mechanical and biochemical assays.

This article describes a simple and low-tech microfluidic method for single-cell experimentation, which permits cell selection without stress, cell manipulation with fine control, and passive self-exclusion of all undesired super-micronic particles. The method requires only conventional soft lithography microfabrication techniques and is applicable to any microfluidic single-cell circuitry. The principle relies on a bypass plugged in parallel with a single-cell assay device and collecting 97% of the flow rate. Cell selection into the single cell device is performed by moving the cell of interest back and forth in the vicinity of the junction between the bypass and the analysis circuitry. Cell navigation is finely controlled by hydrostatic pressure via centimetre-scale actuation of external macroscopic reservoirs connected to the device. We provide successful examples of biomechanical and biochemical assays on living human leukocytes passing through 4 mum wide capillaries. The blebbing process dynamics are monitored by conventional 24 fps videomicroscopy and subcellular cytoskeleton organization is imaged by on-chip immunostaining.