Imaging reveals novel innate immune responses in lung, liver, and beyond*

Highly dynamic immune responses are generated toward pathogens or injuries, in vivo. Multiple immune cell types participate in various facets of the response which leads to a concerted effort in the removal and clearance of pathogens or injured tissue and a return to homeostasis. Intravital microscopy (IVM) has been extensively utilized to unravel the dynamics of immune responses, visualizing immune cell behavior in intact living tissues, within a living organism. For instance, the phenomenon of leukocyte recruitment cascade. Importantly, IVM has led to a deep appreciation that immune cell behavior and responses in individual organs are distinct, but also can influence one another. In this review, we discuss how IVM as a tool has been used to study the innate immune responses in various tissues during homeostasis, injury, and infection.

Automated summary

Highly dynamic immune responses involve multiple immune cell types working together to remove pathogens or injured tissue and return to homeostasis. Intravital microscopy (IVM) has been used to study the distinct immune cell behaviors in individual organs, showing that these behaviors can also influence each other. This review discusses how IVM has been applied to study innate immune responses in various tissues during homeostasis, injury, and infection.