The immune system has to cope with a wide range of irregularly shaped pathogens that can
actively move (eg, by flagella) and also dynamically remodel their shape (eg, transition from …

Leukocytes can completely reorganize their cytoskeletal architecture within minutes. This
structural plasticity, which facilitates their migration and communicative function, also …

Cells and organelles are delimited by lipid bilayers in which high deformability is essential to
many cell processes, including motility, endocytosis and cell division. Membrane tension is …

Iron overload causes progressive organ damage and is associated with arthritis, liver
damage, and heart failure. Elevated iron levels are present in 1%–5% of individuals; …

The fluid-mosaic model posits a liquid-like plasma membrane, which can flow in response to
tension gradients. It is widely assumed that membrane flow transmits local changes in …

The immunological synapse formed between a cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) and an infected
or transformed target cell is a physically active structure capable of exerting mechanical …

Membrane tension is thought to be a long-range integrator of cell physiology. Membrane
tension has been proposed to enable cell polarity during migration through front-back …

The cell surface is a mechanobiological unit that encompasses the plasma membrane, its
interacting proteins, and the complex underlying cytoskeleton. Recently, attention has been …

Phagocytic receptors must diffuse laterally to become activated upon clustering by
multivalent targets. Receptor diffusion, however, can be obstructed by transmembrane …

Mechanotransduction-how cells sense physical forces and translate them into biochemical
and biological responses-is a vibrant and rapidly-progressing field, and is important for a …