Chemoattractant properties

Chemoattractant properties are the major biological effect of CKs. Their receptors are G protein-coupled receptors that form a family of structurally and functionally related proteins. CKs are induced in cells and tissue in response to proinflammatory cytokines. They are produced by a large diversity of cells (Figure 22-32). The CK superfamily, with the exception of RANTES, p-TG, HCC-1, and PF-4, is not expressed in resting cells but is rapidly induced in response to various inflammatory and mitogenic stimuli. Probably all CKs have some activities that are unique and many that are... 

The chemoattractant material in EWW absorbs at 280nm and 230 nm, contains carbohydrate, is ninhydrin-positive, gives positive Bradford and Lowry test for protein and is precipitated by 90% - 100% saturated ammonium sulfate (Halpern et al., 1984). Earthworm wash retains its chemoattractant properties after dialysis through 50,000 molecular weight (MW) cut off tubing, and lyophilization. However, repeated lyophilization, freeze-drying and thawing, do diminish and eventually destroy the chemoattractant in EWW (Table 1). 

McQuibban GA, Gong JH, Wong JP, Wallace JL, Clark-Lewis I, Overall CM. Matrix metalloproteinase processing of monocyte chemoattractant proteins generates CC chemokine receptor antagonists with anti-inflammatory properties in vivo. Blood 2002 100(4) 1160-1167. 

Recent evidence suggests that atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory process. The recruitment of mononuclear leukocytes and formation of intimal macrophage-rich lesions at specific sites of the arterial tree are key events in atherogenesis. Alterations of chemotactic and adhesive properties of the endothelium play an important role in this process [82]. Quercetin has been reported to inhibit the expression in glomerular cells of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) [83] a potent chemoattractant for circulating monocytes. Red wine reduced MCP-1 mRNA and protein expression in abdominal aorta of cholesterol fed rabbits after balloon injury and this effect was associated with a reduced neointimal hyperplasia [84]. The antioxidant-mediated inhibition of nuclear factor k B (NFkB) and the subsequent non selective reduction of cytokine transcription have been suggested to be responsible for these effects [83]. Additionally, quercetin downregulated both phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA)- and tumour necrosis factor-a (TNFa)-induced intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) expression in human endothelial cells [86]. 

P9. Ponath, P. D., Qin, S., Ringler, D. I., Clark-Lewis, I., Wang, I., Kassam, N., Smith, H., Shi, X., Gonzalo, J. A., Newman, W., Gutierrez-Ramos, I. C., and Mackay, C. R., Cloning of the human eosinophil chemoattractant, eotaxin. Expression, receptor binding, and functional properties suggest a mechanism for the selective recruitment of eosinophils. J. Clin. Invest. 97, 604-612... 

Shared receptors are defined as able to bind more than one CK this concept is only valid inside each CK family. For example CCL20, alternatively named liver and activation-regulated CK (LARC), macrophage inflammatory protein-da (MIP-3a) or Exodus-1, is the only CK known to interact with CC CK receptor 6 (CCR6), a property shared with the antimicrobial (i-defensins. The ligand-receptor pair CCL20-CCR6 is responsible for the chemoattraction of immature dendritic cells, effector/memory T cells, and B cells and plays a role at skin and mucosal surfaces under homeostatic and... 

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