B Cell Activation Is Regulated by the Stiffness Properties of the Substrate Presenting the Antigens

B lymphocytes are activated upon Ag sensing by BCRs. The substrate presenting the Ag can show different degrees of stiffness. It is not clear whether B cells can respond to changes in substrate stiffness. In this study we use high-resolution, high-speed live cell imaging techniques to capture the molecular events in B cell activation after the recognition of Ags tethered to polyacrylamide gel substrates with variable degrees of stiffness as quantified by Young's modulus (2.6-22.1 kPa). We show that the initiation of B cell activation is extremely sensitive to substrate stiffness. B cells exhibit much stronger activation responses when encountering Ags tethered to substrates with a high degree of stiffness as measured by the accumulation of BCR, phospho-spleen tyrosine kinase, and phosphotyrosine molecules into the B cell immunological synapse. Ags tethered to stiff substrates induce the formation of more prominent BCR and phospho-spleen tyrosine kinase microclusters with significantly enhanced colocalization as compared with Ags tethered to soft substrates. Moreover, the expression of the B cell activation marker CD69 is enhanced in B cells encountering Ags on stiffer substrates. Through time-lapse live cell imaging, we find that the different responses of B cells to substrate stiffness are only demonstrated 5 min after BCR and Ag recognition. Using a series of cytoskeleton inhibitors, we determine that the mechanosensing ability of B cells is dependent on microtubules, and only mildly linked to the actin cytoskeleton. These results suggest the importance of the mechanical properties mediated by substrate stiffness in B cell activation.