| Motility |
The movement behavior of cells within the liver parenchyma/sinusoids. |
| Homing |
The organ-specific recruitment of leukocytes, often mediated by specific expression of homing receptors on leukocytes (that is, adhesion molecules) and proteins on the vascular endothelium. However, as most cells arrive in the liver sinusoids passively via the circulation, they cannot strictly be said to ‘home' to the liver. A notable exception to this is the homing of macrophages to sites of inflammation in the liver from the peritoneal cavity. |
| Recruitment |
The process by which leukocytes are retained in the liver following the upregulation of adhesion molecules by hepatic stromal cells or leukocytes already present in the liver. |
| Retention |
Any process by which cells cease to circulate freely and thus remain in liver either temporarily or permanently (see residence). Retained cells may be arrested in the sinusoids, crawling in the sinusoids or may extravasate and migrate to sites of inflammation or infection. |
| Residency |
Residency of cells in a particular organ is defined by the inability of cells to recirculate (as often demonstrated with parabiosis experiments). |
| Crawling |
Manner of leukocyte motility characterized by movement along endothelial cells independent of blood flow, elongation of the leukocyte and pseudopod protrusions. |
| Patrolling |
Crawling behavior that is not directed, rather it is characterized by a type of random walk as the cells search for antigen. |
| Arrest |
Process of causing leukocytes to arrest on the endothelial wells via specific molecular interactions to be retained in the sinusoids. |
