How immune cells develop and retain memory may work differently than medical scientists previously believed, according to an international team of researchers.

The new work shows that T cells—white blood cells essential to immune function—can respond to the physical properties of their surroundings through a kind of cellular sense of touch.

The researchers published the work in Nature Immunology, altering our understanding of how immune cells develop, and potentially improving scientists’ understanding of how the immune system adapts to the varied physical environments found throughout the human body.

T Cells Explained

The various specialized types of T cells serve crucial roles in the immune system. Some directly fight infections, while others help coordinate the immune response. Scientists have long believed that biochemical signals help shape the memory T cells that persist in tissues following an infection, preserving the body’s ability to respond to previously encountered threats. How these cells migrate and eventually settle into strategic positions throughout the body is a key part of the immune response.

As T cells travel through the body, they continually monitor for signs of pathogens. When a threat is detected, T cells can enter affected tissues and help clear the infection. Once the invaders have been repelled, some T cells remain in the tissue to guard against reinfection. These tissue-resident memory T cells help defend against previously encountered threats but can also play roles in autoimmune disorders and the rejection of transplanted tissue.

Over their lifetimes, T cells can develop into increasingly specialized forms. Naive T cells have not yet encountered the specific antigen they are capable of recognizing. Following activation, they can differentiate into effector T cells that help target a particular threat, with some eventually developing into long-lived memory cells.

Tissues in the Body

Tissues in our bodies vary widely in stiffness, ranging from the very soft adipose tissue that makes up our body fat to the much stiffer skeletal muscle tissue. These differences raise an interesting question: how do T cells remain strong enough to survive the pressures of stiffer tissues while staying soft enough to change shape as they slide through obstacles in our bodies?

For their laboratory experiments, the researchers reproduced typical tissue stiffnesses using specially engineered collagen gels. They then placed human and mouse immune cells into the gels and discovered that T cells were more likely to develop characteristics associated with tissue-resident memory cells in stiffer environments.

Previously, scientists believed biochemical signals were the primary driver of tissue-resident memory T cell development. In their new research, the team found that these cells use touch to sense the mechanical pressure of their surroundings, dictated by tissue stiffness, and adjust their morphology to compensate.

“This is an exciting fundamental finding that challenges the way we think about immune cells,” said lead author Judith Mandl, a professor in McGill University’s Department of Physiology. “It suggests T cells can ‘feel’ their surroundings and adapt to them, making the physical environment an active force in shaping their behaviour.”

Correcting T Cells

While T cells normally function to protect us from illness, they can occasionally create problems of their own. Patients with autoimmune diseases and allergies may see these immune cells begin attacking healthy tissue. Additionally, organ transplant patients typically require immunosuppressant drugs to stop their T cells from rejecting the new organ.

“Tumours are often dense and physically difficult for immune cells to penetrate. Understanding how T cells adapt to these environments could help researchers design cancer immunotherapies that are better able to reach and attack tumours,” said Mandl.

This new research is an important first step in a new understanding of how immune cells differentiate, which could lead to a new foundational understanding of how to correct undesired immune responses.

The paper, “Mechanosensing by T Cells Promotes a Tissue-Resident Memory Transcriptional Program,” appeared in Nature Immunology on July 3, 2026.

Ryan Whalen covers science and technology for The Debrief. He holds an MA in History and a Master of Library and Information Science with a certificate in Data Science. He can be contacted at ryan@thedebrief.org.

In the profound depths of rocky planets like Earth and Mars, the precise chemical states of mantle minerals play a foundational role in shaping planetary evolution. Among these chemical states, the oxidation state of iron profoundly influences mantle melting behaviors, volcanic gas compositions, and ultimately, the nature of a planet’s surface environment. While the elemental presence of iron in the mantle is well-known, the subtle balance between its ferrous (Fe²⁺) and ferric (Fe³⁺) forms remains a challenging frontier to unravel, particularly under the extreme pressures and temperatures encountered in planetary interiors.

The early stages of planetary formation are marked by the existence of a vast magma ocean—a molten silicate layer blanketing the young Earth and Mars. During this epoch, the oxidation state at which iron integrates into forming minerals dictates subsequent mantle properties and evolution. Accurately determining the Fe³⁺ content in minerals crystallized within this magma ocean stands as a critical step toward understanding the oxidation dynamics that influenced core-mantle differentiation and surface volatile release in nascent planets.

A mineral of prime relevance in this context is majorite, a high-pressure silicate phase stable at depths ranging roughly from 500 to 600 kilometers within Earth’s mantle and near the base of the Martian mantle. Its stability under simultaneously high-pressure and high-temperature conditions makes majorite a significant reservoir for iron deep within these planetary interiors. Therefore, quantifying the Fe³⁺ concentration hosted within majorite under early magma ocean conditions bears directly on models of mantle redox evolution and volatile mobility.

Researchers at Ehime University’s Geodynamics Research Center have pioneered the synthesis of Fe³⁺-rich majorite coexisting with molten silicate magma at pressures around 18 gigapascals and temperatures between 2150 and 2200 degrees Celsius. Utilizing a multi-anvil apparatus capable of reproducing these extreme conditions, the team closely simulated the environment of the early magma ocean. High-precision X-ray Absorption Near Edge Structure (XANES) spectroscopy was then employed at the renowned SPring-8 synchrotron facility to accurately assess the valence state of iron within the synthesized majorite crystals.

The findings reveal an unexpectedly high Fe³⁺ content in majorite crystallized from the magma ocean, second only to bridgmanite, Earth’s most abundant lower mantle mineral. This marked enrichment in ferric iron suggests that early mantle minerals could accommodate significant oxidation capacity, challenging earlier assumptions that high-pressure silicates predominantly contain iron in the ferrous state. The implication is that the early mantle harbored more oxidized iron species than previously anticipated, impacting mantle viscosity, melting relations, and the capacity to store volatile elements.

Importantly, as mantle solids ascend toward shallower depths, phase transitions or mineral decompositions can liberate excess Fe³⁺ that no longer fits within the crystal structures. This released ferric iron potentially contributes to the generation of oxidized magmas, influencing volcanic gas emissions and surface oxidation states. Such a mechanism presents a plausible link between deep mantle oxidation states and the chemical makeup of magmas erupted at the surface, offering fresh insights into the geological histories of both Earth and Mars.

The study’s revelations offer a new lens through which to interpret the evolution of mantle oxidation state gradients over geological time. Understanding how iron’s valence shifts across depth-dependent mineralogical boundaries and during mantle convection cycles will refine planetary differentiation models and volatile cycling frameworks. The presence of Fe³⁺-rich majorite highlights a previously underappreciated redox reservoir deep within planetary interiors.

These results not only enhance our appreciation of Earth’s early differentiated mantle but also extend to Mars, where recent seismic and geochemical data point to a similarly complex mantle composition. The redox state plays an outsize role in Martian volcanic outgassing and atmospheric evolution, making this research vital for reconstructing Mars’ geochemical past and assessing its potential habitability.

From a methodological standpoint, the study exemplifies the power of integrating high-pressure experimental petrology with cutting-edge synchrotron techniques. The ability to recreate extreme planetary interior conditions and directly probe valence states in situ offers a transformative approach to addressing longstanding questions about deep Earth and planetary chemistry.

Furthermore, the recognition that Fe³⁺ can be abundant in magma ocean-derived minerals necessitates revisiting thermodynamic and geochemical models of mantle melting and evolution. Oxidation state strongly influences melting temperatures and mantle rheology, thereby controlling convection patterns and surface tectonics. Such feedbacks are essential to comprehend in the broader context of planetary habitability and evolution.

Ultimately, these insights pave the way for multidisciplinary endeavors bridging mineral physics, planetary science, and geochemistry. They underscore the dynamic interplay between deep Earth processes and surface conditions, revealing how the smallest changes in iron’s electron configuration resonate across planetary systems.

This breakthrough in understanding iron’s complex behavior under extreme conditions promises to guide future explorations of terrestrial and extraterrestrial geology. It sets new constraints on the interior states of rocky planets and sharpens our vision of how early planetary environments were sculpted by subtle shifts deep within.

Subject of Research: High-pressure mineralogy and mantle oxidation states in terrestrial and Martian planets.

Article Title: (Not explicitly provided in the original content.)

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Web References: http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2025JB033231

References: Journal of Geophysical Research Solid Earth

Image Credits: Hideharu Kuwahara

Keywords:
– Fe³⁺ in mantle minerals
– Majorite synthesis under high pressure
– Magma ocean oxidation states
– Mantle redox evolution
– XANES spectroscopy at SPring-8
– High-pressure experimental petrology
– Earth and Mars mantle comparison
– Ferric iron incorporation in majorite
– Oxidized magma generation
– Planetary interior chemistry
– Lower mantle mineralogy
– Planetary differentiation processes