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Peripheral tissue immune responses are shaped not only by leukocyte recruitment to the sites of inflammation but also by mechanisms that regulate their subsequent retention. Thus, protective immunity is dictated by cumulative cellular and molecular mechanisms that determine whether a leukocyte enters, stays within, or rather migrates out of peripheral tissue via lymphatic vessels. Importantly, the propensity for leukocytes to exit tissue through lymphatic vessels (termed egress) is linked to their specialized functions. Dendritic cells (DC) acquire migratory behavior in response to maturation signals leading to antigen transport and presentation in draining lymph nodes (dLN), a process that is necessary for adaptive immunity1. Scavenging myeloid cells, such as macrophages and neutrophils, serve to clear apoptotic debris through phagocytosis. During bacterial infection, neutrophils egress tissue and ultimately undergo apoptosis in dLNs2 and in a model of DSS-induced colitis, data supports the hypothesis that macrophage egress is necessary to resolve local inflammation3. Whether neutrophil and macrophage egress occurs in all inflammatory contexts, however, is unknown. Evidence for T lymphocyte egress from steady state4,5,6,7, infected8, and inflamed4,9,10,11,12 peripheral, non-lymphoid tissues indicates that T cells actively recirculate, though the tissue-based signals that drive this exit remain poorly understood. Several studies have identified signals necessary for directional migration towards draining lymphatic capillaries and subsequent egress including chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 21 (CCL21) and its receptor CCR74,11,13, chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 12 (CXCL12) and its receptor CXCR42,14, and sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P)10,15,16. These mechanisms are not active in all contexts, however, and whether they determine egress of all cell types remains an open question. Importantly, further insight into the mechanisms that govern egress and its functional relevance in disease requires quantitative in vivo methods of analysis.
Several methods have been used to quantify egress in multiple animal models in vivo including direct cannulation of lymphatic vessels, adoptive transfer of ex vivo labeled leukocytes, transdermal application of fluorescent tracers, injection of labeled particles, and in vivo photoconversion17,18. Direct cannulation of afferent mouse lymphatic vessels is difficult and limited in small animals by the volumes of fluid that can be collected. Thus, cannulation has largely been performed in large animals (e.g., sheep) where such surgical manipulations are practical. These studies provide direct evidence for the presence of both lymphoid and myeloid cells in lymph10,19,20. Furthermore, ovine models reveal that acute and chronic inflammation increased lymphocyte presence in lymph by nearly 100-fold10,21.
Adoptive transfer of labeled and genetically manipulated lymphocytes has importantly revealed that CCR7 is required for the egress of CD4+ T cells from acutely inflamed skin5,11, while the pretreatment of lymphocytes with the small molecule S1P receptor agonist, FTY720, only partially inhibits their egress10. Interestingly, the egress of transferred lymphocytes from chronically inflamed skin is CCR7-independent10, but may partially require CXCR49. Adoptive transfer experiments, however, deliver non-physiological numbers of ex vivo activated and labeled lymphocytes into tissue through injection, which alters the biomechanical environment of tissues and elevated interstitial fluid pressures that open initial lymphatic capillaries and alter their transport properties22. As an alternative, transdermal application of fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) in the presence or absence of dermal irritants (e.g., dibutyl phthalate, DBP) or infection23,24 allows for the tracking of phagocytic cells that accumulate tracer and migrate to dLNs. Similarly, fluorescently labeled tumors provide a means to track phagocytic cells that have engulfed tumor material25. These methods have provided important insight into the mechanisms that govern DC egress13,14,17,26,27 but are unable to track non-phagocytic lymphocytes and, interpretation can be complicated by free lymphatic drainage of soluble FITC thus labeling non-migratory, LN resident DCs.
Alternatively, intravital microscopy is a powerful tool that allows for in vivo tracking of physiologically relevant leukocyte populations in real time28,29. Used in combination with the reporter mice and antibody-based in vivo immunofluorescent labeling, intravital microscopy has revealed the complex spatial and temporal dynamics of immune cell trafficking, including interstitial migration30, transmigration across the lymphatic endothelium, passage within the lymphatic lumen, and migration upon LN entry28,31. Broad adoption of intravital imaging techniques is limited by expense, necessary expertise for set up, and limited throughput for quantifying multiple cell types. Still, coupling quantitative methods that analyze population dynamics tissues with intravital imaging will provide additional and important mechanistic insight with respect to the mechanisms of motility and migration toward and within lymphatic capillaries18,31,32.
Consequently, in vivo photoconversion has emerged as a method that allows for in situ labeling, independent of phagocytic activity, and for the quantification of physiological leukocyte egress (when coupled with flow cytometry) in the absence or presence of challenge. Kaede-Tg mice constitutively express a protein isolated from stony coral that exhibits green fluorescence (Kaede green) until exposed to violet light, after which it irreversibly converts to red fluorescence (Kaede red)33. Photoconverted cells can be tracked as they egress from peripheral tissue sites and accumulate in dLNs. This and other similar photoconvertible mouse models34,35 have revealed important biology including constitutive egress of regulatory T cells from skin36, CXCR4-dependent B cell egress from Peyer's patches37, mobilization of resident memory T cells upon peptide re-challenge38, and broad leukocyte egress from tumor microenvironments39. Herein, we perform a head-to-head comparison of photoconversion with transdermal FITC application in the context of cutaneous inflammation and infection to allow for direct comparison of existing data with the photoconvertible method. Furthermore, we demonstrate photoconversion in implanted tumors and describe the conversion efficiency and selective egress from tumor microenvironments. As such, we argue that further application of these methods is needed to elucidate the critical biology of leukocyte egress from tumors, which will have significant implications for interpreting intratumoral leukocyte complexity, anti-tumor immunity, and response to therapy.