Utrecht Center for Quantitative Immunology

Lymphocyte migration

The visualization of the dynamic behavior of and interactions between immune cells using time-lapse video microscopy plays an important role in modern immunology. The analysis of this type of data is notoriously difficult, and to draw robust conclusions, quantification of such cell migration is required. We have analyzed data sets from several laboratories, and videos of individual cells migrating through tissues and interacting with other cell types are analyzed and modeled to quantify the migratory properties of the cells, their search times, and their conjugation times with others.

We develop 3-dimensional computer simulation models using the Cellular Potts Model (CPM) to test whether our interpretations can indeed account for the observed migratory behavior, and to test our methods of analysis on artificial data.

Johannes Textor maintains a website 2ptrack where 2pm data can be uploaded and analyzed.

Five key publications

  • In vivo imaging and histochemistry are combined in the cryosection labelling and intravital microscopy technique. Ritsma L, Vrisekoop N, van Rheenen J. Nat Commun. 2013;4:2366. doi: 10.1038/ncomms3366.
  • Tissue-resident memory CD8+ T cells continuously patrol skin epithelia to quickly recognize local antigen. Ariotti S, Beltman JB, Chodaczek G, Hoekstra ME, van Beek AE, Gomez-Eerland R, Ritsma L, van Rheenen J, Maree AF, Zal T, de Boer RJ, Haanen JB, Schumacher TN. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2012 Nov 27;109(48):19739-44. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1208927109.
  • Defining the quantitative limits of intravital two-photon lymphocyte tracking. Textor J1, Peixoto A, Henrickson SE, Sinn M, von Andrian UH, Westermann J. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2011 Jul 26;108(30):12401-6. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1102288108.
  • B cells within germinal centers migrate preferentially from dark to light zone. Beltman JB, Allen CD, Cyster JG, de Boer RJ. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2011 May 24;108(21):8755-60. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1101554108.
  • Analysing immune cell migration. Beltman JB, Maree AF, de Boer RJ. Nat Rev Immunol. 2009 Nov;9(11):789-98. doi: 10.1038/nri2638.