Abstract:

T cell migration within the body plays a very critical role for efficient antigen-specific immune responses. T cell extravasates in inflamed tissues in response to chemotactic cues and interaction between cellular integrins and endothelial adhesion molecules. A migrating T cell senses diverse mechano-physical cues, both external and membrane-intrinsic. Molecular mechanisms for such mechanosensing are yet to be established. We explored if the professional mechanosensor Piezo1 plays any role in integrin-dependent chemotaxis of human T cells. We found that deficiency of Piezo1 in human T cells hindered integrin-dependent cellular motility. Piezo1 recruitment at the leading edge of moving T cells follows focal adhesion-driven local increase in membrane tension following chemokine receptor activation. Piezo1 activation in turn is crucial for integrin recruitment to the leading edge.

About the speaker:

Dr. Dipyaman Ganguly is an Indian physician-scientist immunologist and cell biologist, currently a Principal Scientist and Swarnajayanthi Fellow at the CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology (IICB). He heads the Dendritic Cell Laboratory of IICB, popularly known as Ganguly Lab, where he hosts several researchers involved in research on regulation of innate Immunity and pathogenesis of inflammatory disorders.

Ganguly graduated in medicine from Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata in 2001 but shifted his focus to biomedical research and joined the Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology as a clinical associate. In 2003, he joined Indian Institute of Chemical Biology for doctoral research as a research scholar which earned him his first PhD in 2006. Moving to the US, he carried on his research at University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and received another PhD from the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. His post-doctoral work was at the Columbia University Medical Center as an SLE Foundation Fellow and on his return to India, he joined IICB where he is a Principal Scientist. He is also a Swarnajayanti Fellow of the Department of Science and Technology, and was formerly a Ramanujan Fellow of the Science and Engineering Research Board of the Department of Science and Technology.