Control and Manipulation of Pathogens with an Optical Trap for Live Cell Imaging of Intercellular Interactions

The application of live cell imaging allows direct visualization of the dynamic interactions between cells of the immune system. Some preliminary observations challenge long-held beliefs about immune responses to microorganisms; however, the lack of spatial and temporal control between the phagocytic cell and microbe has rendered focused observations into the initial interactions of host response to pathogens difficult. This paper outlines a method that advances live cell imaging by integrating a spinning disk confocal microscope with an optical trap, also known as an optical tweezer, in order to provide exquisite spatial and temporal control of pathogenic organisms and place them in proximity to host cells, as determined by the operator. Polymeric beads and live, pathogenic organisms (Candida albicans and Aspergillus fumigatus) were optically trapped using non-destructive forces and moved adjacent to living cells, which subsequently phagocytosed the trapped particle. High resolution, transmitted light and fluorescence-based movies established the ability to observe early events of phagocytosis in living cells. To demonstrate the broad applicability of this method to immunological studies, anti-CD3 polymeric beads were also trapped and manipulated to form synapses with T cells in vivo, and time-lapse imaging of synapse formation was also obtained. By providing a method to exert fine control of live pathogens with respect to immune cells, cellular interactions can be captured by fluorescence microscopy with minimal perturbation to cells and can yield powerful insight into early responses of innate and adaptive immunity.National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (U.S.) (grant T32EB006348)Massachusetts General Hospital (Department of Medicine Internal Funds)Center for Computational and Integrative Biology (Development fund)Center for Computational and Integrative Biology (AI062773)Center for Computational and Integrative Biology (grant AI062773)Center for Computational and Integrative Biology (grant DK83756)Center for Computational and Integrative Biology (grant DK 043351)National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (U.S.)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (grant AI057999

High-Speed High-Resolution Imaging of Intercellular Immune Synapses Using Optical Tweezers

Imaging in any plane other than horizontal in a microscope typically requires a reconstruction from multiple optical slices that significantly decreases the spatial and temporal resolution that can be achieved. This can limit the precision with which molecular events can be detected, for example, at intercellular contacts. This has been a major issue for the imaging of immune synapses between live cells, which has generally required the reconstruction of en face intercellular synapses, yielding spatial resolution significantly above the diffraction limit and updating at only a few frames per minute. Strategies to address this issue have usually involved using artificial activating substrates such as antibody-coated slides or supported planar lipid bilayers, but synapses with these surrogate stimuli may not wholly resemble immune synapses between two cells. Here, we combine optical tweezers and confocal microscopy to realize generally applicable, high-speed, high-resolution imaging of almost any arbitrary plane of interest. Applied to imaging immune synapses in live-cell conjugates, this has enabled the characterization of complex behavior of highly dynamic clusters of T cell receptors at the T cell/antigen-presenting cell intercellular immune synapse and revealed the presence of numerous, highly dynamic long receptor-rich filopodial structures within inhibitory Natural Killer cell immune synapses.</p

A predictive self-organizing multicellular computational model of infant skin permeability to topically applied substances

Computational models of skin permeability are typically based on assumptions of fixed geometry and homogeneity of the whole epidermis or of epidermal strata and are often limited to adult skin. Infant skin differs quantitatively from adult in its structure and its functional properties, including its barrier function to permeation. To address this problem, we developed a self-organizing multicellular epidermis model of barrier formation with realistic cell morphology. By modulating parameters relating to cell turnover reflecting those in adult or infant epidermis, we were able to generate accordingly two distinct models. Emerging properties of these models reflect the corresponding experimentally measured values of epidermal and Stratum Corneum thickness. Diffusion of an externally applied substance (e.g. caffeine) was simulated by molecular exchange between the model “agents”, defined by the individual cells and their surrounding extracellular space. By adjusting the surface concentration and the intercellular exchange rate, the model can recapitulate experimental permeability data, following topical exposure. By applying these parameters to an infant model, we were able to predict the caffeine concentration profile in infant skin, closely matching experimental results. This work paves the way for better understanding of skin physiology and function during the first years of life

A minimally invasive optical trapping system to understand cellular interactions at onset of an immune response

T-cells and antigen presenting cells are an essential part of the adaptive immune response system and how they interact is crucial in how the body effectively fights infection or responds to vaccines. Much of the experimental work studying interaction forces between cells has looked at the average properties of bulk samples of cells or applied microscopy to image the dynamic contact between these cells. In this paper we present a novel optical trapping technique for interrogating the force of this interaction and measuring relative interaction forces at the single-cell level. A triple-spot optical trap is used to directly manipulate the cells of interest without introducing foreign bodies such as beads to the system. The optical trap is used to directly control the initiation of cell-cell contact and, subsequently to terminate the interaction at a defined time point. The laser beam power required to separate immune cell pairs is determined and correlates with the force applied by the optical trap. As proof of concept, the antigen-specific increase in interaction force between a dendritic cell and a specific T-cell is demonstrated. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that this interaction force is completely abrogated when T- cell signalling is blocked. As a result the potential of using optical trapping to interrogate cellular interactions at the single cell level without the need to introduce foreign bodies such as beads is clearly demonstrated

Kidney cell lysates contain an activity that stimulates mature erythroid burst-forming-unit (mBFU-E) proliferation

This study reports the detection of an activity that stimulates the development of a subclass of burst-forming unit-erythroid (BFU-E) progenitors giving rise to small bursts in semi-solid cultures established in the presence of saturating concentrations of erythropoietin. These progenitors are considered to be mature BFU-E. The activity is found in extracts from kidney cells and appears to be physiologically regulated as it was respectively enhanced and decreased in kidneys from anemic and polycythemic mice. The disappearance of activity in kidney-cell extracts during long-term polycythemia correlated with an accumulation of mature BFU-E in the spleen and bone marrow of polycythemic mice. Using specific neutralizing antibodies and in vitro tests, we also show that this activity is different from hemopoietins known to share burst promoting activity (Interleukin-3 [IL- 3], granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor [GM-CSF], Interleukin-4 [IL-4], erythropoietin [EPO], human interleukin for DA cells [HILDA]) and that it can stimulate erythroid differentiation in long term bone marrow cell cultures.</jats:p

Kidney cell lysates contain an activity that stimulates mature erythroid burst-forming-unit (mBFU-E) proliferation

Abstract This study reports the detection of an activity that stimulates the development of a subclass of burst-forming unit-erythroid (BFU-E) progenitors giving rise to small bursts in semi-solid cultures established in the presence of saturating concentrations of erythropoietin. These progenitors are considered to be mature BFU-E. The activity is found in extracts from kidney cells and appears to be physiologically regulated as it was respectively enhanced and decreased in kidneys from anemic and polycythemic mice. The disappearance of activity in kidney-cell extracts during long-term polycythemia correlated with an accumulation of mature BFU-E in the spleen and bone marrow of polycythemic mice. Using specific neutralizing antibodies and in vitro tests, we also show that this activity is different from hemopoietins known to share burst promoting activity (Interleukin-3 [IL- 3], granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor [GM-CSF], Interleukin-4 [IL-4], erythropoietin [EPO], human interleukin for DA cells [HILDA]) and that it can stimulate erythroid differentiation in long term bone marrow cell cultures.</jats:p