Leukocyte-epithelial interactions.

As a 'double-edged sword', neutrophil (polymorphonuclear leukocyte) migration across epithelial-lined organs is an important component of host defense, but it also results in epithelial pathophysiology and disease symptoms. There have been significant advances in better understanding the mechanisms of how leukocytes cross the vascular endothelium to exit the bloodstream; however, many of the mechanisms that govern polymorphonuclear leukocyte transepithelial migration are different and we are only just beginning to understand them. Recent findings include new junctional adhesion molecules and carbohydrate moieties as receptors for migrating neutrophils. In addition, new insights into leukocyte-epithelial signaling events have emerged that are beginning to shed light on the role of SIRP-CD47 interactions in regulating the rate of neutrophil transepithelial migration and how neutrophils modulate epithelial barrier function.