ABSTRACT
Amoeboid cells such as leukocytes can enter and migrate in diverse tissues, even though tissues vary widely in their chemical and mechanical composition. Here, we imaged motile T cells as they colonized peripheral tissues during zebrafish development to determine whether cells tailor their migration strategy to their local tissue environment. We found that T cells in most sites migrated with F-actin-rich, leading-edge pseudopods, matching how they migrate in vitro. T cells notably deviated from this strategy in the epidermis, where they instead migrated using a rearward concentration of F-actin and stable leading-edge blebs. This mode of migration occurs under planar confinement in vitro, and we found that the stratified keratinocyte layers of the epidermis also impose planar-like confinement on leukocytes in vivo. Collectively, our data indicate that immune cells adapt their migration strategy to navigate different tissue geometries in vivo.
Footnotes
Author contributions
Conceptualization: T.F.R., A. Horn, A. Huttenlocher; Data curation: T.F.R., J.S., Z.Z., Y.H.; Formal analysis: T.F.R., J.S., Y.H.; Funding acquisition: T.F.R., A. Huttenlocher; Investigation: T.F.R., J.S., J.R., A. Horn; Methodology: T.F.R., J.S., Z.Z., J.R., Y.H.; Project administration: T.F.R., A. Huttenlocher; Resources: Z.Z., J.R.; Supervision: A. Huttenlocher; Writing – original draft: T.F.R.; Writing – review & editing: T.F.R., A. Huttenlocher.
Funding
This study was funded by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (R35 GM118027 to A. Huttenlocher and F32 GM146398 to T.F.R.). Deposited in PMC for release after 12 months.
Data and resource availability
All relevant data and details of resources can be found within the article and its supplementary information.
The people behind the papers
This article has an associated ‘The people behind the papers’ interview with some of the authors.
