https://doi.org/10.1140/epje/s10189-025-00540-0
Research - Living Systems
Stiffness fluctuations in T cells
Laboratoire d’Hydrodynamique (LadHyX), CNRS, Ecole Polytechnique, Institut Polytechnique de Paris, Palaiseau, France
a
julien.husson@polytechnique.edu
Received:
29
July
2025
Accepted:
27
November
2025
Published online:
15
December
2025
The actomyosin cortex is a highly dynamic cellular structure that regulates cell shape, migration, and division, while also contributing to specialized functions such as microvillar search. Previous studies have documented fluctuations in microvillar shape and cortical thickness over time. Building on these observations, we investigated whether these morphological changes are accompanied by corresponding fluctuations in cellular stiffness. We used profile microindentation and micropipette aspiration to examine the mechanical properties of human CD4 + T cells. Our results revealed that a substantial proportion of T cells exhibit spontaneous stiffness fluctuations, with approximately one-third displaying clear, periodic peaks with an average period of 30–35 s. Disrupting the actin cytoskeleton with Latrunculin A eliminated these fluctuations, confirming their actin-dependent nature. Low-pressure micropipette aspiration experiments showed periodic movements of cell bodies within the micropipette that correlated with stiffness peaks. These findings demonstrate that the mechanical properties of resting T cells are far from static. Instead, T cells exist in a highly dynamic state characterized by significant stiffness oscillations that may be integral to the microvillar search process. This work raises questions about whether similar mechanical dynamics occur in other cell types and how these periodic stiffness changes might influence T cell immune functions. Our study underscores the importance of temporal resolution when investigating cellular mechanics, as static measurements may miss these fundamental dynamic properties.
Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1140/epje/s10189-025-00540-0.
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© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to EDP Sciences, SIF and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2025
Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
