A central role for DOCK2 during interstitial lymphocyte motility and sphingosine-1-phosphate-mediated egress

Recent observations using multiphoton intravital microscopy (MP-IVM) have uncovered an unexpectedly high lymphocyte motility within peripheral lymph nodes (PLNs). Lymphocyte-expressed intracellular signaling molecules governing interstitial movement remain largely unknown. Here, we used MP-IVM of murine PLNs to examine interstitial motility of lymphocytes lacking the Rac guanine exchange factor DOCK2 and phosphoinositide-3-kinase (PI3K)gamma, signaling molecules that act downstream of G protein-coupled receptors, including chemokine receptors (CKRs). T and B cells lacking DOCK2 alone or DOCK2 and PI3K gamma displayed markedly reduced motility inside T cell area and B cell follicle, respectively. Lack of PI3K.. alone had no effect on migration velocity but resulted in increased turning angles of T cells. As lymphocyte egress from PLNs requires the sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) receptor 1, a G alpha i protein-coupled receptor similar to CKR, we further analyzed whether DOCK2 and PI3K.. contributed to S1P-triggered signaling events. S1P-induced cell migration was significantly reduced in T and B cells lacking DOCK2, whereas T cell-expressed PI3K.. contributed to F-actin polymerization and protein kinase B phosphorylation but not migration. These findings correlated with delayed lymphocyte egress from PLNs in the absence of DOCK2 but not PI3K gamma, and a markedly reduced cell motility of DOCK2-deficient T cells in close proximity to efferent lymphatic vessels. In summary, our data support a central role for DOCK2, and to a lesser extent T cell-expressed PI3K gamma, for signal transduction during interstitial lymphocyte migration and S1P-mediated egress.