PreprintCC BY-NCbioRxiv
Chemokine-induced cell swelling fluidises the plasma membrane to regulate CD8+ T cell migration
- 1Karolinska Institutet
Abstract
T cell migration is primarily viewed as a cytoskeletal process. Here, we show that chemokine-stimulated CD8+ T cell migration is modulated by a volume-driven biophysical switch at the plasma membrane (PM). We found that chemokine-induced cell swelling creates an adhesion-dependent gradient of high PM fluidity at the leading edge. External chemical fluidisation of the PM using membrane modulators enhances migration similar to chemokine-induced fluidisation without the need of cell-swelling. Together, our findings identify PM fluidity as a tuneable biophysical gatekeeper that controls T cell migration, potentially providing a novel mechanical tool for optimising adoptive cell therapies in restrictive tissue microenvironments.
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BibTeX
@misc{boer2026chemokineinduced,
title = {{Chemokine-induced cell swelling fluidises the plasma membrane to regulate CD8+ T cell migration}},
author = {L. L. de Boer and C. O. Gurdap and E. Sezgin},
howpublished = {bioRxiv},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.64898/2026.10.07.757276},
url = {https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.07.757276v1},
note = {CC BY-NC},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Chemokine-induced cell swelling fluidises the plasma membrane to regulate CD8+ T cell migration
AU - L. L. de Boer
AU - C. O. Gurdap
AU - E. Sezgin
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/07
PB - bioRxiv
DO - 10.64898/2026.10.07.757276
UR - https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.07.757276v1
AB - T cell migration is primarily viewed as a cytoskeletal process. Here, we show that chemokine-stimulated CD8+ T cell migration is modulated by a volume-driven biophysical switch at the plasma membrane (PM). We found that chemokine-induced cell swelling creates an adhesion-dependent gradient of high PM fluidity at the leading edge. External chemical fluidisation of the PM using membrane modulators enhances migration similar to chemokine-induced fluidisation without the need of cell-swelling. Together, our findings identify PM fluidity as a tuneable biophysical gatekeeper that controls T cell migration, potentially providing a novel mechanical tool for optimising adoptive cell therapies in restrictive tissue microenvironments.
ER -