The critical importance of spatial and temporal scales in designing and interpreting immune cell migration assays

Frattolin, J., Watson, D. J., Bonneuil, W. V., Russell, M. J., Fasanella Masci, F., Bandara, M. , Brook, B. S., Nibbs, R. and Moore, J. E. (2021) The critical importance of spatial and temporal scales in designing and interpreting immune cell migration assays. Cells, 10(12), e3439. (doi: 10.3390/cells10123439) (PMID:34943947) (PMCID:PMC8700135)

Abstract

Intravital microscopy and other direct-imaging techniques have allowed for a characterisation of leukocyte migration that has revolutionised the field of immunology, resulting in an unprecedented understanding of the mechanisms of immune response and adaptive immunity. However, there is an assumption within the field that modern imaging techniques permit imaging parameters where the resulting cell track accurately captures a cell’s motion. This notion is almost entirely untested, and the relationship between what could be observed at a given scale and the underlying cell behaviour is undefined. Insufficient spatial and temporal resolutions within migration assays can result in misrepresentation of important physiologic processes or cause subtle changes in critical cell behaviour to be missed. In this review, we contextualise how scale can affect the perceived migratory behaviour of cells, summarise the limited approaches to mitigate this effect, and establish the need for a widely implemented framework to account for scale and correct observations of cell motion. We then extend the concept of scale to new approaches that seek to bridge the current “black box” between single-cell behaviour and systemic response.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Nibbs, Professor Rob and Jayaweera Bandara, Dr Mikaila and Fasanella Masci, Dr Francesca
• Authors: Frattolin, J., Watson, D. J., Bonneuil, W. V., Russell, M. J., Fasanella Masci, F., Bandara, M., Brook, B. S., Nibbs, R., and Moore, J. E.
• College/School: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Infection & Immunity
• Research Centre: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Infection & Immunity > Centre for Immunobiology
• Journal Name: Cells
• Publisher: MDPI
• ISSN: 2073-4409
• ISSN (Online): 2073-4409
• Published Online: 07 December 2021
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2021 by the authors
• First Published: First published in Cells 10(12):e3439
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons Licence

Project Code	Award No	Project Name	Principal Investigator	Funder's Name	Funder Ref	Lead Dept
301499		Integrative Transport Phenomena in Chemokine Gradient Establishment	Robert Nibbs	Wellcome Trust (WELLCOTR)	206284/Z/17/Z	III - Immunology