Positive feedback amplification in swarming immune cell populations

Abstract

Several immune cell types (neutrophils, eosinophils, T cells, and innate-like lymphocytes) display coordinated migration patterns when a population, formed of individually responding cells, moves through inflamed or infected tissues. "Swarming" refers to the process in which a population of migrating leukocytes switches from random motility to highly directed chemotaxis to form local cell clusters. Positive feedback amplification underlies this behavior and results from intercellular communication in the immune cell population. We here highlight recent findings on neutrophil swarming from mouse models, zebrafish larvae, and in vitro platforms for human cells, which together advanced our understanding of the principles and molecular mechanisms that shape immune cell swarming.