Chemokine receptors biology

Locati, M., and Murphy, P. M. (1999). Chemokines and chemokine receptors Biology and clinical relevance in inflammation and AIDS. Annu. Rev. Med. 50, 425-440. 

Chemokine Receptors. Figure 1 Biological functions of chemokine receptors as exemplified by the chemokine receptor CXCR4. 

Chemokines exert their biological effects through ceU surface receptors belonging to the family of seven-membrane domain G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs, Chen et al. 2004). At least 22 chemokine receptors have been characterized to date, which... 

Beyond roles of chemokine receptors in hematopoiesis and innate immunity, roles for chemokines in adaptive immunity emerged. Moreover, other nonleukocyte migration properties of chemokine receptors have been identified. These include roles in the biology of endothelial cells (Chapter 15), cancer (Chapter 16), smooth muscle (Chapter 11), fibroblasts (Chapter 14), stem cells (Chapter 8), and all cell types associated with nervous system tissues (Chapter 17). In many instances, broad functional overlap is evident as chemokines can direct the migration of these cells just as they do with leukocytes. In certain instances, the ability of chemokines to retain cell populations within a specific microenvironment is as important as their migration-promoting properties. However, it is also clear that migration and retention are not the sole end points. 

The basic biology of chemokines and their receptors is well covered in Chapters 2 and 3 of this book, and we will focus hereafter upon the roles of individual chemokines and receptors in atherosclerosis. The largest amount of data on the roles of chemokines in cardiovascular disease (C VD) has been obtained from in vitro studies and murine models, which will be discussed in detail. In man, genetic polymorphisms in chemokine and chemokine-receptor genes have pointed to an important role for specific chemokines in various atherosclerotic diseases including coronary artery disease and carotid artery occlusive disease. For properties see Table 1. 

Phillips RJ, Burdick MD, Lutz M, Belperio JA, Keane MP, Strieter RM. The stromal derived factor- 1/CXCL12-CXC chemokine receptor 4 biological axis in non-small cell lung cancer metastases. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2003 167(12) 1676-1686. 

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