Cell–extracellular matrix interactions: Unraveling the kinetics and strength of cellular adhesion

The z-Movi^® is a useful tool to obtain insights into cell adhesion processes. Here, Kamsma et al. used the z-Movi^® to resolve the adhesion forces and kinetics between CD4+ T lymphocytes (CD4) and fibronectin.

They identified three interaction states between the cells: unbound, binding, and bound. Interaction strengths below 30 pN were defined for unbound cells, between 30 pN and 55 pN for transiently binding and crawling cells, and 55 pN and above for bound cells (Figure 7).

The researchers then investigated how these properties are influenced by interleukin-7 (IL7), the main regulatory cytokine of CD4 cells. The results demonstrated that while IL7 accelerated CD4 adhesion, it did not influence CD4 avidity (Figures 8 and 9).