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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik

BP 20: Cell adhesion, mechanics and migration I

BP 20.2: Vortrag

Dienstag, 1. April 2014, 13:30–13:45, HÜL 386

Migration patterns of dendritic cells in response to chemokines — •Veronika Bierbaum, Eva Kiermaier, Jan Schwarz, Michael Sixt, and Tobias Bollenbach — IST Austria, Am Campus 1, 3400 Klosterneuburg, Austria

Dendritic cells are decisive components of the adaptive immune system. They navigate through tissues by sensing two different chemokines, CCL19 and CCL21. We develop a predictive physical description of dendritic cell migration as a function of the surrounding chemokine concentration fields. We are particularly interested in the role of cell size and shape in sensing and migration. We gain quantitative information about the influence of these parameters on cellular motion from in vitro assays. In these assays, cells are exposed to specific well-controlled combinations of the two different chemokines. We quantify the dynamics of the chemokine profiles and cell motion using time-lapse microscopy. In this way, we obtain ensembles of cell trajectories, which we use to identify the key parameters that control cellular motion in varying environments. Our preliminary results indicate that dendritic cells perform a random walk in the absence of any chemokine gradient. The observed trajectories are generally well captured by Langevin equations, enabling us to separate the stochastic and deterministic contributions to the directionality and velocity of the moving cells. We further find that dendritic cells show qualitatively different migration behaviors for the two types of chemokines. Our combined experimental-theoretical study will enable us to identify general principles of cellular responses to chemokines that ensure robust cell migration.