About this Research Topic
Epithelia constitute the outermost barriers of our organisms, protecting us from mechanical, chemical, and biological threats. Specialized immune cells locally coordinate with epithelial cells to optimize epithelial barrier function and tissue surveillance while maintaining physiological exchanges with the environment. Chemokines are key in shaping the epithelial immune landscape. By creating local niches and gradients, they drive immune cell directional migration to, within, and out of epithelia, thereby organizing immune cell recruitment and positioning, whether in healthy, infected, or inflamed tissue. Some chemokines also contribute to the control of cell proliferation, survival, and functional differentiation that together with their location dictate immune cell function.
The chemokine system is inherently complex due to its basic properties, with chemokines most often having several receptors and vice versa. This underlies their redundant, pleiotropic, synergistic, and/or antagonistic actions. This complexity is maximized in epithelia, where chemokine production is continuously tuned in response to various environmental challenges. The goal of this research topic is to gather articles providing new insights into the role of chemokines and their receptors in regulating epithelial immunity by controlling cell location and function. One specific objective is to gain a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying the integration of several chemokine signals by immune cells for tailored responses.
Overall, this research topic is intended to provide a comprehensive and mechanistic view of chemokines' contribution to epithelial immune homeostasis, chronic inflammation as well as immune responses toward microorganisms with epithelial tropism.
We encourage the submission of research articles investigating the mechanisms underlying chemokine action in epithelial barriers, both in the context of homeostasis and pathogenesis, whether acute or chronic. Studies focusing on any epithelial barrier (from the skin, lungs, gastrointestinal tract, and urogenital tract) will be welcome. Review articles will also be considered.
We welcome articles addressing the following topics:
• The roles of chemokines in coordinating immune cell positioning and directional migration to, within, and out of epithelia in the steady state
• The contribution of chemokines to the epithelial recruitment and functional polarization of immune cells and/or their precursors, at homeostasis, during epithelial infections, or in chronic inflammation
• The interplay of microbes from the microbiota and of pathogens with the chemokine system
• The molecular mechanisms involved in chemokine network signal decoding downstream typical and atypical chemokine receptors
The chemokine system is inherently complex due to its basic properties, with chemokines most often having several receptors and vice versa. This underlies their redundant, pleiotropic, synergistic, and/or antagonistic actions. This complexity is maximized in epithelia, where chemokine production is continuously tuned in response to various environmental challenges. The goal of this research topic is to gather articles providing new insights into the role of chemokines and their receptors in regulating epithelial immunity by controlling cell location and function. One specific objective is to gain a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying the integration of several chemokine signals by immune cells for tailored responses.
Overall, this research topic is intended to provide a comprehensive and mechanistic view of chemokines' contribution to epithelial immune homeostasis, chronic inflammation as well as immune responses toward microorganisms with epithelial tropism.
We encourage the submission of research articles investigating the mechanisms underlying chemokine action in epithelial barriers, both in the context of homeostasis and pathogenesis, whether acute or chronic. Studies focusing on any epithelial barrier (from the skin, lungs, gastrointestinal tract, and urogenital tract) will be welcome. Review articles will also be considered.
We welcome articles addressing the following topics:
• The roles of chemokines in coordinating immune cell positioning and directional migration to, within, and out of epithelia in the steady state
• The contribution of chemokines to the epithelial recruitment and functional polarization of immune cells and/or their precursors, at homeostasis, during epithelial infections, or in chronic inflammation
• The interplay of microbes from the microbiota and of pathogens with the chemokine system
• The molecular mechanisms involved in chemokine network signal decoding downstream typical and atypical chemokine receptors
Keywords: Chemokines, Chemokine receptors, Epithelium homeostasis, Epithelium inflammation, Epithelium infection, Microbiota, Cell migration, Tissue residency
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
