Lymph node γδ and αβ CD8+ T cells share migratory properties

During immune responses, T cells differentiate into subsets with different functions and migratory properties. Here we characterize migratory behavior of endogenous alpha beta CD8(+) and gamma delta T cells in lymph nodes by long-term tracking following in vivo photoconversion. We identified subsets of gamma delta T cells with distinct circulation kinetics that closely mirrored migratory subsets of alpha beta CD8(+) T cells. Notably, alpha beta CD8(+) and gamma delta T cells both comprised resident populations which stayed in lymph nodes for 4 weeks without circulation or proliferation. Furthermore, in contrast to the common conception, we observed that central memory alpha beta CD8(+) T cells circulate with slower kinetics than naive cells. Our results show that, similar to alpha beta T cells, gamma delta T cells can acquire distinct migratory properties during their development and differentiation and reveal unexpected intricacies of T cell migratory patterns.