Immune responses are governed by signals from the tissue microenvironment, and in addition to biochemical signals, mechanical cues and forces arising from the tissue, its extracellular matrix and its constituent cells shape immune cell function. Indeed, changes in biophysical properties of tissue alter the mechanical signals experienced by cells in many disease conditions, in inflammatory states and in the context of ageing. These mechanical cues are converted into biochemical signals through the process of mechanotransduction, and multiple pathways of mechanotransduction have been identified in immune cells. Such pathways impact important cellular functions including cell activation, cytokine production, metabolism, proliferation and trafficking. Changes in tissue mechanics may also represent a new form of ‘danger signal’ that alerts the innate and adaptive immune systems to the possibility of injury or infection. Tissue mechanics can change temporally during an infection or inflammatory response, offering a novel layer of dynamic immune regulation. Here, we review the emerging field of mechanoimmunology, focusing on how mechanical cues at the scale of the tissue environment regulate immune cell behaviours to initiate, propagate and resolve the immune response.

免疫反应受来自组织微环境的信号控制，除了生化信号外，组织产生的机械信号和力、其细胞外基质及其组成细胞也塑造免疫细胞功能。事实上，组织生物物理特性的变化改变了细胞在许多疾病条件、炎症状态和衰老背景下所经历的机械信号。这些机械信号通过机械转导过程转化为生化信号，并且在免疫细胞中已鉴定出多种机械转导途径。这些途径影响重要的细胞功能，包括细胞激活、细胞因子产生、代谢、增殖和运输。组织力学的变化也可能代表一种新形式的“危险信号”，提醒先天免疫系统和适应性免疫系统注意受伤或感染的可能性。组织力学可以在感染或炎症反应期间暂时发生变化，从而提供新的动态免疫调节层。在这里，我们回顾了新兴的机械免疫学领域，重点关注组织环境范围内的机械线索如何调节免疫细胞行为以启动、传播和解决免疫反应。