Cell membranes are an intricate yet fragile interface that requires substrate support for stabilization. Upon cell death, disassembly of the cytoskeletal network deprives plasma membranes of mechanical support and leads to membrane rupture and disintegration. By assembling a network of synthetic hydrogel polymers inside the intracellular compartment using photo-activated crosslinking chemistry, we show that the fluid cell membrane can be preserved, resulting in intracellularly gelated cells with robust stability. Upon assessing several types of adherent and suspension cells over a range of hydrogel crosslinking densities, we validate retention of surface properties, membrane lipid fluidity, lipid order, and protein mobility on the gelated cells. Preservation of cell surface functions is further demonstrated with gelated antigen presenting cells, which engage with antigen-specific T lymphocytes and effectively promote cell expansion ex vivo and in vivo. The intracellular hydrogelation technique presents a versatile cell fixation approach adaptable for biomembrane studies and biomedical device construction.

中文翻译：

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细胞内水凝胶化保留了流体和功能性细胞膜界面以进行生物相互作用。


细胞膜是一个复杂而脆弱的界面，需要基质支撑才能稳定。细胞死亡后，细胞骨架网络的分解剥夺了质膜的机械支撑并导致膜破裂和崩解。通过使用光激活交联化学在细胞内组装合成水凝胶聚合物网络，我们表明可以保留流体细胞膜，从而使细胞内凝胶化细胞具有强大的稳定性。通过评估多种类型的贴壁细胞和悬浮细胞在一系列水凝胶交联密度下的情况，我们验证了凝胶细胞上表面特性、膜脂流动性、脂质顺序和蛋白质迁移率的保留情况。凝胶化抗原呈递细胞进一步证明了细胞表面功能的保存，该细胞与抗原特异性 T 淋巴细胞结合并有效促进离体和体内细胞扩增。细胞内水凝胶技术提供了一种多功能细胞固定方法，适用于生物膜研究和生物医学设备构建。