---
OA_place: publisher
OA_type: hybrid
PlanS_conform: '1'
_id: '20082'
abstract:
- lang: eng
text: Efficient immune responses rely on the capacity of leukocytes to traverse
diverse and complex tissues. To meet such changing environmental conditions, leukocytes
usually adopt an ameboid configuration, using their forward-positioned nucleus
as a probe to identify and follow the path of least resistance among pre-existing
pores. We show that, in dense environments where even the largest pores preclude
free passage, leukocytes position their nucleus behind the centrosome and organelles.
The local compression imposed on the cell body by its surroundings triggers assembly
of a central F-actin pool, located between cell front and nucleus. Central actin
pushes outward to transiently dilate a path for organelles and nucleus. Pools
of central and front actin are tightly coupled and experimental depletion of the
central pool enhances actin accumulation and protrusion formation at the cell
front. Although this shifted balance speeds up cells in permissive environments,
migration in restrictive environments is impaired, as the unleashed leading edge
dissociates from the trapped cell body. Our findings establish an actin regulatory
loop that balances path dilation with advancement of the leading edge to maintain
cellular coherence.
acknowledged_ssus:
- _id: Bio
- _id: LifeSc
acknowledgement: This research was supported by the Scientific Service Units of ISTA
through resources provided by the Imaging and Optics, Preclinical and Lab Support
Facilities. In particular, we thank M. A. Symth and F. G. G. Leite, from the Virus
Service Team, who helped generating the lentiviral particles used in this study.
We thank all the members of the Sixt group for valuable discussions and feedback,
in particular, I. Mayer, for helping with T cell isolation and Z. (P.) Li for providing
the Actin–GFP DC line. We are also thankful to J. Mandl and C. Shen for their feedback
during the writing of this manuscript. This work was supported by a European Research
Council grant ERC-SyG 101071793 to M.S. M.J.A. was supported by an HFSP Postdoctoral
Fellowship LTF 177 2021 and A.J.G. by a Lise Meitner Fellowship of the FWF (Austrian
Science Fund). Y.F. was supported by the AMED-CREST (JP19gm1310005), the Medical
Research Center Initiative for High Depth Omics and CURE:JPMXP1323015486 for MIB,
Kyushu University. Open access funding provided by Institute of Science and Technology
(IST Austria).
article_processing_charge: Yes (via OA deal)
article_type: letter_note
author:
- first_name: Patricia
full_name: Dos Reis Rodrigues, Patricia
id: 26E95904-5160-11E9-9C0B-C5B0DC97E90F
last_name: Dos Reis Rodrigues
orcid: 0000-0003-1681-508X
- first_name: Mario
full_name: Avellaneda Sarrió, Mario
id: DC4BA84C-56E6-11EA-AD5D-348C3DDC885E
last_name: Avellaneda Sarrió
orcid: 0000-0001-6406-524X
- first_name: Nikola
full_name: Canigova, Nikola
id: 3795523E-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
last_name: Canigova
orcid: 0000-0002-8518-5926
- first_name: Florian R
full_name: Gärtner, Florian R
id: 397A88EE-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
last_name: Gärtner
orcid: 0000-0001-6120-3723
- first_name: Kari
full_name: Vaahtomeri, Kari
id: 368EE576-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
last_name: Vaahtomeri
orcid: 0000-0001-7829-3518
- first_name: Michael
full_name: Riedl, Michael
id: 3BE60946-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
last_name: Riedl
orcid: 0000-0003-4844-6311
- first_name: Ingrid
full_name: De Vries, Ingrid
id: 4C7D837E-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
last_name: De Vries
- first_name: Jack
full_name: Merrin, Jack
id: 4515C308-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
last_name: Merrin
orcid: 0000-0001-5145-4609
- first_name: Robert
full_name: Hauschild, Robert
id: 4E01D6B4-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
last_name: Hauschild
orcid: 0000-0001-9843-3522
- first_name: Yoshinori
full_name: Fukui, Yoshinori
last_name: Fukui
- first_name: Alba
full_name: Juanes Garcia, Alba
id: 40F05888-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
last_name: Juanes Garcia
orcid: 0000-0002-1009-9652
- first_name: Michael K
full_name: Sixt, Michael K
id: 41E9FBEA-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
last_name: Sixt
orcid: 0000-0002-6620-9179
citation:
ama: Dos Reis Rodrigues P, Avellaneda Sarrió M, Canigova N, et al. Migrating immune
cells globally coordinate protrusive forces. Nature Immunology. 2025;26:1258–1266.
doi:10.1038/s41590-025-02211-w
apa: Dos Reis Rodrigues, P., Avellaneda Sarrió, M., Canigova, N., Gärtner, F. R.,
Vaahtomeri, K., Riedl, M., … Sixt, M. K. (2025). Migrating immune cells globally
coordinate protrusive forces. Nature Immunology. Springer Nature. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41590-025-02211-w
chicago: Dos Reis Rodrigues, Patricia, Mario Avellaneda Sarrió, Nikola Canigova,
Florian R Gärtner, Kari Vaahtomeri, Michael Riedl, Ingrid de Vries, et al. “Migrating
Immune Cells Globally Coordinate Protrusive Forces.” Nature Immunology.
Springer Nature, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41590-025-02211-w.
ieee: P. Dos Reis Rodrigues et al., “Migrating immune cells globally coordinate
protrusive forces,” Nature Immunology, vol. 26. Springer Nature, pp. 1258–1266,
2025.
ista: Dos Reis Rodrigues P, Avellaneda Sarrió M, Canigova N, Gärtner FR, Vaahtomeri
K, Riedl M, de Vries I, Merrin J, Hauschild R, Fukui Y, Juanes Garcia A, Sixt
MK. 2025. Migrating immune cells globally coordinate protrusive forces. Nature
Immunology. 26, 1258–1266.
mla: Dos Reis Rodrigues, Patricia, et al. “Migrating Immune Cells Globally Coordinate
Protrusive Forces.” Nature Immunology, vol. 26, Springer Nature, 2025,
pp. 1258–1266, doi:10.1038/s41590-025-02211-w.
short: P. Dos Reis Rodrigues, M. Avellaneda Sarrió, N. Canigova, F.R. Gärtner, K.
Vaahtomeri, M. Riedl, I. de Vries, J. Merrin, R. Hauschild, Y. Fukui, A. Juanes
Garcia, M.K. Sixt, Nature Immunology 26 (2025) 1258–1266.
corr_author: '1'
date_created: 2025-07-27T22:01:26Z
date_published: 2025-08-01T00:00:00Z
date_updated: 2026-04-28T13:26:50Z
day: '01'
ddc:
- '570'
department:
- _id: MiSi
- _id: NanoFab
- _id: Bio
doi: 10.1038/s41590-025-02211-w
external_id:
isi:
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pmid:
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oa_version: Published Version
page: 1258–1266
pmid: 1
project:
- _id: bd91e723-d553-11ed-ba76-fe7eeb2185fd
grant_number: '101071793'
name: 'Pushing from within: Control of cell shape, integrity and motility by cytoskeletal
pushing forces'
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grant_number: 944-2020
name: 'Bioelectric patrolling: the role of the local membrane potential in immune
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publication: Nature Immunology
publication_identifier:
eissn:
- 1529-2916
issn:
- 1529-2908
publication_status: published
publisher: Springer Nature
quality_controlled: '1'
related_material:
link:
- description: News on ISTA website
relation: press_release
url: https://ista.ac.at/en/news/bench-pressing-cells/
record:
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relation: dissertation_contains
status: public
scopus_import: '1'
status: public
title: Migrating immune cells globally coordinate protrusive forces
tmp:
image: /images/cc_by.png
legal_code_url: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode
name: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Public License (CC-BY 4.0)
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type: journal_article
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...