ArticleCell2016
Cytotoxic T Cells Use Mechanical Force to Potentiate Target Cell Killing.
Article in Cell, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 274 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
274 citing papers in PubMed, 465 citations in OpenAlex.
- Mechano-immunomodulatory biomaterials: From immune mechanosensing to translational design.Bioactive materials · 2026Review
- Nitric-oxide propelled nanomotors sensitize tumors to ferroptosis immunotherapy via cholesterol depletion-induced tumor cells stiffening.Materials today. Bio · 2026Article
- Platycodon grandiflorus-Derived Nanovesicles Sensitize Gastric Cancer to T Cell Killing via Ferroptosis-Driven Membrane Mechanical Remodeling.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2026Article
- Actin conformation dynamics precede force generation in cytotoxic T lymphocytes.Communications biology · 2026Article
- Cofilin1-driven cytoskeletal remodeling modulates pan-cancer CD8Cell reports. Medicine · 2026Article
- Decoding mechanoregulation in immunological synapses using biomimetic artificial cells.Nature methods · 2026Article
- Turning resistance into therapeutic vulnerability: Mechano-reprogramming in cancer.Mechanobiology in medicine · 2026Article
- Antibody Fc receptor CD16a mediates natural killer cell activation via mechanotransduction of piconewton forces.Science advances · 2026Article
- Chromatin decompaction within the nucleus increases plasma membrane tension promoting NETosis execution, independently of transcription.Nature communications · 2026Article
- Volume and surface methods for microparticle traction force microscopy: a computational and experimental comparison.Soft matter · 2026Article
- FATP2-mediated lipid metabolism enhances chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy resistance in B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia.Leukemia · 2026Article
- Mechanobiology of CAR-T cell therapy: regulatory mechanisms and strategies for enhanced antitumor immunity.Journal of translational medicine · 2026Review
- Identifying and reprogramming softness-driven cancer stem-like cells overcomes CAR-T cell resistance in solid tumours.Nature biomedical engineering · 2026Article
- Ionic regulation of cancer cell stiffness and metastatic colonization via the MRTFA-KCNMB1 axis.Developmental cell · 2026Article
- Mechanical preconditioning by shear stress enhances memory formation and anti-tumor function of CAR-T cells.Cancer immunology, immunotherapy : CII · 2026Article
- Integrated pan-cancer analysis and experimental validation reveal that syndecan-1 drives glioblastoma pathogenesis and associates with immune infiltration.Discover oncology · 2026Article
- Oncogenic LPP facilitates focal adhesion maturation in response to mechanical tension and regulates the Hippo signaling.Oncogene · 2026Article
- Inference of the 3D pressure field exerted by a single cell from a thin membrane transverse deformation.The European physical journal. E, Soft matter · 2026Article
- Transformative biomechanics and mechanobiology breakthroughs shaping the future of health and medicine.Innovation (Cambridge (Mass.)) · 2026Review
- LIFUS-driven engineered bacteria reprogram immunosuppressive niches via mechano-NOTCH signaling.Cell reports. Medicine · 2026Article
214 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
13 authors at 8 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
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 force. Here, we investigated whether synaptic forces promote the destruction of target cells. CTLs kill by secreting toxic proteases and the pore forming protein perforin into the synapse. Biophysical experiments revealed a striking correlation between the magnitude of force exertion across the synapse and the speed of perforin pore formation on the target cell, implying that force potentiates cytotoxicity by enhancing perforin activity. Consistent with this interpretation, we found that increasing target cell tension augmented pore formation by perforin and killing by CTLs. Our data also indicate that CTLs coordinate perforin release and force exertion in space and time. These results reveal an unappreciated physical dimension to lymphocyte function and demonstrate that cells use mechanical forces to control the activity of outgoing chemical signals.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.