T-bet is required for optimal proinflammatory CD4+ T-cell trafficking

Inflammatory responses are controlled by T helper 1 (Th1) lymphocytes. An important function of this polarity is the ability of T cells to traffick appropriately in vivo. This differential trafficking is dependent upon the binding of P-selectin glycoprotein ligand-1 to P- and E-selectin on inflamed endothelium as well as the expression of specific chemokine receptors. Here we show that in the absence of T-box expressed in T cells (T-bet), selective migration of T cells in vivo is completely abrogated and that T-bet regulates the binding of CD4+ T cells to P-selectin. T-bet is also required for the expression of the chemokine receptor CXCR3. Thus, T-bet controls Th1-cell migration to inflammatory sites, which has fundamental consequences for the control of immunologic disease.