TSP1/TGF-β1 drives arachidonic acid metabolism to orchestrate neutrophil swarming

Neutrophil swarming has emerged as a conserved multicellular behaviour observed across tissues and pathological contexts. Yet, the molecular cues and the spatially coordinated cellular circuits that drive the process of neutrophil swarming leading to cluster formation remain poorly understood. Here, we combine spatial proteomics and lipid profiling in a model of urinary tract infection to define the epithelial-immune circuits driving neutrophil cluster formation. We identify thrombospondin-1 (TSP1)-mediated activation of transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-β1) as key epithelial signal licensing neutrophil clustering and enhancing bacterial control. Spatial lipid analysis further reveals that TSP1/TGF-β1 signalling locally activates arachidonic acid metabolism in epithelial neutrophils, with 5-lipoxygenase dependent leukotriene synthesis required for swarm formation and infection clearance. These findings uncover a spatially coordinated defence mechanism in which epithelial-derived TSP1/TGF-β1 engages neutrophil lipid metabolism to orchestrate neutrophil swarming behaviour and reinforce antibacterial immunity.