Implications of cellular metabolism for immune cell migration

Summary Cell migration is an essential, energetically demanding process in immunity. Immune cells navigate the body via chemokines and other immune mediators, which are altered under inflammatory conditions of injury or infection. Several factors determine the migratory abilities of different types of immune cells in diverse contexts, including the precise co‐ordination of cytoskeletal remodelling, the expression of specific chemokine receptors and integrins, and environmental conditions. In this review, we present an overview of recent advances in our understanding of the relationship of each of these factors with cellular metabolism, with a focus on the spatial organization of glycolysis and mitochondria, reciprocal regulation of chemokine receptors and the influence of environmental changes. Migration is an essential function of immune cells in diverse contexts of homeostasis and inflammation. This review presents an overview of how cell motility is regulated by the integration of cellular metabolism with cytoskeletal remodelling and signalling. The effects of the microenvironment and host metabolism on immune cell migration are also discussed.