Microscale arrays for the profiling of start and stop signals coordinating human-neutrophil swarming

Neutrophil swarms protect healthy tissues by sealing off sites of infection. In the absence of swarming, microbial invasion of surrounding tissues can result in severe infections. Recent observations in animal models have shown that swarming requires rapid neutrophil responses and well-choreographed neutrophil migration patterns. However, in animal models, physical access to the molecular signals coordinating neutrophil activities during swarming is limited. Here, we report the development and validation of large microscale arrays of zymosan particle clusters for the study of human neutrophils during swarming ex vivo. We characterized the synchronized swarming of human neutrophils under the guidance of neutrophil-released chemokines, and measured the mediators released at different phases of human-neutrophil swarming against targets simulating infections. We found that the network of mediators coordinating human-neutrophil swarming includes start and stop signals, proteolytic enzymes and enzyme inhibitors, as well as modulators of activation of other immune and non-immune cells. We also show that the swarming behaviour of neutrophils from patients following major trauma is deficient and gives rise to smaller swarms than those of neutrophils from healthy individuals. Large microscale arrays of zymosan particle clusters enable the characterization of human-neutrophil swarming, including the presence of start and stop signals, and the deficient swarming behaviour of neutrophils from patients following major trauma.