title: Bifunctional nanoarrays for probing the immune response at the single-molecule level.
abstract: Bifunctional nanoarrays were created to simulate the immunological synapse and probe the T-cell immune response at the single-molecule level. Sub-5 nm AuPd nanodot arrays were fabricated using both e-beam and nanoimprint lithography. The nanoarrays were then functionalized by two costimulatory molecules: antibody UCHT1 Fab, which binds to the T-cell receptor (TCR) and activates the immune response, bound to metallic nanodots; and intercellular adhesion molecule-1, which enhances cell adhesion, on the surrounding area. Initial T-cell experiments show successful attachment and activation on the bifunctional nanoarrays. This nanoscale platform for single-molecule control of TCR in living T-cells provides a new approach to explore how its geometric arrangement affects T-cell activation and behavior, with potential applications in immunotherapy. This platform also serves as a general model for single-molecule nanoarrays where more than one molecular species is required.
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027.
authors.forename: Haogang
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Cai
authors.affiliation: Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York 10016.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Depoil
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering and Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027.
authors.forename: Matteo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Palma
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027.
authors.forename: Michael P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Sheetz
authors.affiliation: Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York 10016.
authors.forename: Michael L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Dustin
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027.
authors.forename: Shalom J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Wind