Leukotriene B4 and BLT1 control cytotoxic effector T cell recruitment to inflamed tissues

Abstract

Leukotriene B4 (LTB4) is a potent chemoattractant for myeloid leukocytes, which express BLT1, the high-affinity receptor for LTB4. We report here that BLT1 is induced substantially in CD8+ effector T cells and at lower amounts in CD8+ central memory T cells. LTB4 elicited BLT1-dependent chemotaxis in effector cells, but not in naive or central memory cells. Intravital microscopy showed that BLT1 signaling induced rapid integrin-mediated arrest of rolling effector and central memory cells in postcapillary venules. In competitive homing experiments, wild-type effector cells were three times more efficient at migrating to the inflamed peritoneal cavity than were BLT-deficient effector cells. These results identify LTB4-BLT1 as a potent nonchemokine pathway for cytotoxic effector cell traffic.