Introduction: T cell trafficking in inflammation and immunity

T cell migration across vascular endothelium is essential for T cell responses, as through the expression of specific tissue-homing receptors, these cells then access peripheral tissues, with the goal of eliminating invading pathogens and/or tumor cells. However, aberrant trafficking of T cells to peripheral tissues contributes to the development of most chronic inflammatory diseases. Very little is known about the mechanisms by which T cell trafficking is regulated during inflammation, and it is thus difficult to target this aspect of pathology for the development of new therapies. It is therefore important to understand the pathways involved in regulating the recruitment of immune cells.