[Chemotaxis and cellular migration in respiratory pathology]

Numerous types of cells have a capacity for movement in physiological or pathological situations. For example, this is the case for inflammatory cells in the lung, during acute lobar pneumonia, sarcoidosis and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Cellular migration is a general process which rests on the interaction between different chemotactic factors and specific receptors which are present on the target cells. On the other hand the addition of inhibitors can significantly decrease the cellular migration in the presence of chemotactic factors. In respiratory pathology, congenital chemotactic defects are exceptional (and the Chediak-Higashi syndrome and Job syndrome are examples). In contrast during the course of lung cancer, circulating monocytes often show a significant decrease in their chemotactic responsiveness.