Neutrophils are key cells of the innate immune system and act as rapid responders to tissue damage, infection, and inflammation. As sentinel cells, they continuously patrol the bloodstream and are among the first immune cells to be recruited to sites of damage. Upon sensing inflammatory cues, neutrophils quickly adhere to the vascular endothelium and migrate out of the bloodstream into affected tissues—a process termed neutrophil extravasation.

To enter the inflamed interstitial space, neutrophils must overcome the barriers of the blood vessel wall, which is formed by endothelial cells, basement membrane, and surrounding pericytes. This multistep transmigration process begins with tightly regulated interactions between neutrophils and activated endothelial cells.

In our research, we investigate the molecular mechanisms that regulate these neutrophil-endothelial interactions during extravasation. We focus particularly on how neutrophils interpret inflammatory signals and local endothelial cues to determine their route of transmigration—whether paracellular or transcellular. By dissecting these processes, we aim to gain a more detailed understanding of neutrophil behaviour in the context of vascular inflammation.

Selected publications:

  1. Stegmeyer RI, Holstein K., Spring K, Timmerman I, Xia M, Stasch M, Möller T, Nottebaum AF, Vestweber D. (2024). Csk controls leukocyte extravasation via local regulation of Src family kinases and cortactin signaling. Front Immunol. 15:1480152. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1480152.

  2. Stegmeyer RI, Stasch M, Olesker D, Taylor JM, Mitchell TJ, Hosny NA, Kirschnick N, Spickermann G, Vestweber D, Volkery S. (2024). Intravital Microscopy With an Airy Beam Light Sheet Microscope Improves Temporal Resolution and Reduces Surgical Trauma. Microsc Microanal. 30(5):925-943. doi: 10.1093/mam/ozae099. 

  3. Xia M, Stegmeyer RI, Shirakura K, Butz S, Thiriot A, von Andrian UH, Vestweber D. (2024). Conditions that promote transcellular neutrophil migration in vivo. Sci Rep. 14(1):14471. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-65173-3.

  4. Currie SM*, Stegmeyer RI*, Mildner K, Breitsprecher L, Zeuschner D, Psathaki OE, Schäfer K, Wilkens M, Volkery S, Nieswandt B, Vestweber D. (2022). Confocal Real-Time Analysis of Cutaneous Platelet Recruitment during Immune Complex‒Mediated Inflammation. J Invest Dermatol. 142(10):2724-2732.e3. doi: 10.1016/j.jid.2022.03.011.

* indicate shared first authorship.