How T cells use LFA-1 to attach and migrate

Abstract

The T lymphocyte (or T cell) has classically been perceived to be a passive circular cell attaching to other cells or fibrils of the extracellular matrix when its integrins become activated. We now understand that the modus operandi of the T cell is migration. These cells are proving to be impressively fast migrators, clocking up basal speeds of approximately 10-15 microm/min which makes them amongst the fastest movers recorded to date. Therefore, migration is the business of the T cell and in this review we will discuss how its motility is regulated and what functions this activity makes possible.