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Updated: May 8, 2026

Imaging CD4 T Cell Interstitial Migration in the Inflamed Dermis
Published on: March 25, 2016
Inflammation-induced interstitial migration of effector CD4⁺ T cells is dependent on integrin αV
Michael G Overstreet1, Alison Gaylo, Bastian R Angermann
1David H. Smith Center for Vaccine Biology and Immunology, Aab Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York, USA.
Abstract:
Leukocytes must traverse inflamed tissues to effectively control local infection. Although motility in dense tissues seems to be integrin independent and based on actomyosin-mediated protrusion and contraction, during inflammation, changes to the extracellular matrix (ECM) may necessitate distinct motility requirements. Indeed, we found that the interstitial motility of T cells was critically dependent on Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD)-binding integrins in the inflamed dermis. Inflammation-induced deposition of fibronectin was functionally linked to higher expression of integrin αV on effector CD4⁺ T cells. By intravital multiphoton imaging, we found that the motility of CD4⁺ T cells was dependent on αV expression. Selective blockade or knockdown of αV arrested T helper type 1 (TH1) cells in the inflamed tissue and attenuated local effector function. Our data demonstrate context-dependent specificity of lymphocyte movement in inflamed tissues that is essential for protective immunity.
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