Thermoregulation of immune cell dynamics

Fever is an evolutionary conserved response able to stimulate and boost both innate and adaptive immunity. Temperature variations in general modify the homeostatic setpoint such as blood flow in warm blooded animals and can change gene-expression patterns on the single cell level [1] . Neutrophils and dendritic cells (DCs) patrol tissues under various temperature levels and their effective encounter and response to ‘danger signals’ is key for optimal immune defence [2] . Still, the thermo-regulation of immune cell dynamics remains largely elusive. Here we show that the local temperature controls immune cell dynamics, such as shape changes, cell migration speed and persistence in 2D/2.5D/3D biomimetic micro-environments.