Discrimination of leukemic Jurkat cells from normal lymphocytes via novo label-free cytometry based on fluctuation of image gray values

Peptide-based pore formation and cell membrane deformation: European Biophysics Journal Prizes at EBSA 2023

The European Biophysics Journal Prizes awarded at the European Biophysical Societies Association (EBSA) Congress in Stockholm in the Summer of 2023 recognised papers published in 2020 and 2021 which made use of multiple complementing experimental, theoretical and computational approaches. One of the winning papers addressed the specific role of arginine residues within antimicrobial and cell-penetrating peptides, in promoting membrane defect stabilisation and pore formation. The other winning paper described the influence of atomic force microscopy probe geometry on the measurement of surface deformability, assessed for investigation of the differing viscoelastic properties of non-malignant and cancerous cells. These papers showcase biophysical science; the importance of combining different experimental, modelling and molecular dynamics methods; and how researchers need to understand the theoretical basis and the limitations of the techniques they use. EBSA warmly congratulates the authors on their work and its subsequent recognition. Publication of these papers also demonstrates the ongoing commitment of the European Biophysics Journal to molecular scale and to systems biophysics, and to support of the international biophysical community.

Cell Surface Vibrations Distinguish Malignant from Benign Cells

The mechanical properties of living cells, including their shape, rigidity, and internal dynamics play a crucial role in their physiology and pathology. Still, the relations between the physiological cell state and its rigidity and surface vibrations remain poorly understood. Here, we have employed AFM measurements on T cells and found a negative relation between cell surface stiffness and its vibrations. Blocking T-type Ca⁺⁺-channels using Mibefradil reduced cortical actin tension in these cells and enhanced their membrane vibrations and dissipation of intracellular mechanical work to the cell surroundings. We also found increased vibrations of cell membranes in five different malignant cells lines derived from T cell leukemia, lung, prostate, bladder, and melanoma cancers, as compared to their corresponding benign cells. This was demonstrated by utilizing TIRF microscopy in single cells and dynamic laser speckles measurements in an in vitro model of multiple cells in a tissue. Our results show that cell membrane vibrations and dissipation of mechanical work are higher in malignant cells relative to benign cells. Accordingly, these properties may be used to detect and monitor cellular and tissue malignancies.

Reducing Myosin II and ATP-Dependent Mechanical Activity Increases Order and Stability of Intracellular Organelles

Organization of intracellular content is affected by multiple simultaneous processes, including diffusion in a viscoelastic and structured environment, intracellular mechanical work and vibrations. The combined effects of these processes on intracellular organization are complex and remain poorly understood. Here, we studied the organization and dynamics of a free Ca++ probe as a small and mobile tracer in live T cells. Ca++, highlighted by Fluo-4, is localized in intracellular organelles. Inhibiting intracellular mechanical work by myosin II through blebbistatin treatment increased cellular dis-homogeneity of Ca++-rich features in length scale < 1.1 μm. We detected a similar effect in cells imaged by label-free bright-field (BF) microscopy, in mitochondria-highlighted cells and in ATP-depleted cells. Blebbistatin treatment also reduced the dynamics of the Ca++-rich features and generated prominent negative temporal correlations in their signals. Following Guggenberger et al. and numerical simulations, we suggest that diffusion in the viscoelastic and confined medium of intracellular organelles may promote spatial dis-homogeneity and stability of their content. This may be revealed only after inhibiting intracellular mechanical work and related cell vibrations. Our described mechanisms may allow the cell to control its organization via balancing its viscoelasticity and mechanical activity, with implications to cell physiology in health and disease.

Spectral Analysis of ATP-Dependent Mechanical Vibrations in T Cells

Mechanical vibrations affect multiple cell properties, including its diffusivity, entropy, internal content organization, and thus-function. Here, we used Differential Interference Contrast (DIC), confocal, and Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence (TIRF) microscopies to study mechanical vibrations in live (Jurkat) T cells. Vibrations were measured via the motion of intracellular particles and plasma membrane. These vibrations depend on adenosine triphosphate (ATP) consumption and on Myosin II activity. We then used spectral analysis of these vibrations to distinguish the effects of thermal agitation, ATP-dependent mechanical work and cytoskeletal visco-elasticity. Parameters of spectral analyses could be related to mean square displacement (MSD) analyses with specific advantages in characterizing intracellular mechanical work. We identified two spectral ranges where mechanical work dominated vibrations of intracellular components: 0-3 Hz for intracellular particles and the plasma-membrane, and 100-150 Hz for the plasma-membrane. The 0-3 Hz vibrations of the cell membrane that we measured in an experimental model of immune synapse (IS) are expected to affect the IS formation and function in effector cells. It may also facilitate immunological escape of extensively vibrating malignant cells.

Time-resolved microwell cell-pairing array reveals multiple T cell activation profiles

The differences in behaviour between individual cells in a large population are often important, yet are masked in bulk analyses where only average parameters are measured. One unresolved question in the field of immunology is the extent to which important immunological phenomena such as immunodominance to cancer antigens correlates with the average activity of a population of antigen-specific T lymphocytes, or with the activity of individual "outlier" cells. Despite progress in single cell technologies, few platforms are available that can deliver time-resolved, functional analysis at single cell resolution, for these investigations. We have developed an accessible high-throughput platform to measure single T cell signalling in real time following time-controlled stimulation by live antigen presenting cells. The cell-trap array consists of thousands of individual microwells cast in an agarose block, which is biocompatible and permeable to nutrients. Single T cells are isolated in wells via passive sedimentation and size exclusion, achieving up to 90% occupancy. The device enables simultaneous activation of thousands of single CD8⁺ cells. Stimulation with soluble reagents (ionomycin, anti-CD3 antibodies) or antigen presenting cells leads to changes in intracellular calcium concentrations which were measured using calcium-chelating fluorophore dyes. The platform was used to demonstrate a range of activation profiles among individual cells of a cloned, antigen specific CD8⁺ T cell hybridoma in response to both nonspecific stimuli and specific, physiologically relevant antigen stimulation. The presence of two different activation profiles was demonstrated, together with rare outlier behaviour among cells that are essentially clonal.

ATP-Dependent Diffusion Entropy and Homogeneity in Living Cells

Intracellular dynamics is highly complex, and includes diffusion of poly-dispersed objects in a non-homogeneous, out-of-equilibrium medium. Assuming non-equilibrium steady-state, we developed a framework that relates non-equilibrium fluctuations to diffusion, and generalized entropy in cells. We employed imaging of live Jurkat T cells, and showed that active cells have higher diffusion parameters (K_α and α) and entropy relative to the same cells after ATP depletion. K_α and α were related in ATP-depleted cells while this relation was not apparent in untreated cells, probably due to non-equilibrium applied work. Next we evaluated the effect of intracellular diffusion and entropy on the cell content homogeneity, which was displayed by the extent of its liquid–liquid phase separation (LLPS). Correlations between intracellular diffusion parameters, entropy and cell homogeneity could be demonstrated only in active cells while these correlations disappeared after ATP depletion. We conclude that non-equilibrium contributions to diffusivity and entropy by ATP-dependent mechanical work allow cells to control their content homogeneity and LLPS state. Such understanding may enable better intervention in extreme LLPS conditions associated with various cell malignancies and degenerative diseases.