Leukocyte Trafficking in Lymphatic Vessels

Abstract

To ensure proper immune function, most leukocytes constantly move within tissues or between them using the blood and lymphatic vessels as transport routes. While afferent lymphatic vessels transfer leukocytes from peripheral tissues to draining lymph nodes (dLNs), efferent lymphatics return lymphocytes from LNs back into the blood vascular circulation. Over the last decades, great progress has been made in our understanding of leukocyte migration into and within the lymphatic compartment, leading to the approval of new drugs targeting this process. In this review, we first introduce the anatomy of the lymphatic vasculature and the main cell types migrating through lymphatics. We primarily focus on dendritic cells (DCs) and T cells, the most prominent lymph-borne cell types, and discuss the functional significance as well as the main molecules and steps involved in their migration. Additionally, we provide an overview of the different techniques used to study lymphatic trafficking.