Title : Translational Mechanobiology in Immunology
일시 : 2026년 9월 22일 (화), 17시
장소 : 아산이학관 433호
Speaker : 최현규 (연세대학교 생화학과)
Abstracts:
Recent research has increasingly highlighted that receptors on various immune cells exhibit both mechanosensing and mechanotransduction. These phenomena are not confined to adhesion receptors such as Notch receptors and integrins, which are well-established in mechanotransduction due to their roles in mechanical support and force transmission, but also extend to immunoreceptors such as TCR, BCR, and CD40. Traditionally, studies have concentrated on the signaling aspects of these immunoreceptors, but mechanosensing is evident in how their ligand-binding kinetics are modulated by mechanical forces, forming catch bonds that prolong bond lifetimes with increasing force. These receptors are also termed mechanotransductive, as their signaling and functions are modulated by mechanical forces through receptor–ligand bonds. Moreover, immune cells exert ligand-binding-induced, signaling-dependent, and cytoskeleton-driven endogenous forces on these immunoreceptors.
A particularly compelling context in which immunoreceptor mechanotransduction plays a decisive role is the activation of cytotoxic T lymphocytes. In these cells, mechanical inputs transmitted through the T cell receptor (TCR) are closely coupled to antigen discrimination and effector function, suggesting that force-dependent signaling is integral to their immunological activity. Recent findings further indicate that, during interactions with cancer cells, cytotoxic T cells generate endogenous forces through immunoreceptors, implicating mechanical engagement as a key component of anti-tumor responses. However, whether the tumor microenvironment (TME) affects the mechanical response of immunoreceptors on T cells remains unexplored, and if so, the mechanisms by which immunoreceptors and their ligands are mechanically regulated on each side remain entirely unknown. This presentation will explore data related to the regulatory influence of the TME on the mechanosensing and mechanotransduction of immunoreceptors and their implications for the Next-generation personalized immunotherapy, highlighting a new aspect of therapeutic strategy.