Chemokines and Chemokine Receptors Flashcards
What are chemokines?
“Chemotactic cytokines”
First discovered in 1980’s
Polypeptides of similar structures
Orchestrate migration and trafficking of cells to tissue
* Homeostasis
* Inflammation
Structural Characteristics of Chemokines
Small molecules (60-100 amino acids) with a low molecular weight (8-14kd)
Tha largest family of cytokines
* Over 50 have been identified
* Strcuturally related
Sub-classifed based on structure
* Highly conserved cysteine (Cys) motifs in their aa sequence
* Most have four characteristic Cys
Classification of chemokine subclass
Based on the number and spacing of the conservred Cys residues in their amino termini
CXC-alpha
CC-beta
C-gamma
CX3C-delta
Structural Characteristics of Chemokines
Two disulfide bonds link the 1st and 3rd cysteine and the 2nd and 4th
Membrane bound CXC3 has a mucin-like domain and an intercytoplasmic domain
* Fractalkine (in humans)
* Neurotactin (in mice)
Chemokine Function
- Homeostatic
- Inflammatory
Chemokine Function
Homeostatic
Constitutive
Development of B and T cells in secondary lymphoid organs
Immune surveillance
* Skin and mucosal surfaces express increased levels of chemokines
Chemokine Function
Inflammatory
Induced
* IL-1
* TNF-alpha
* IFN-gamma
* Microbial products (LPS)
* Trauna/tissue damage
Chemokine Receptors
- Membrane bound molecules
- Composed of 7 transmembranes domains couples to G proteins at C terminal
- Receptors are internalized following chemokine binding and subsequently recycled
- Highly promiscuous - one receptor has multiple ligands
- Restrcited to same subclass of ligand
- Some restricted to certain cell types
- Some widely expressed
Chemokines Receptors Function
Constitutively expressed
Constitutive receptors can be down-regulated
* CCR2 down regulated by LPS, making cells unresponsive to MCP-1
Inducible
IL-2 sitmulation of lymphocytes induces CCR1 and CCR2
Induced expression restricted to a cell’s state of activation/differentation
* CXCR3 - Th1 cells
* CCR3 - Th2 cells
* Allows for selective amplification of cell mediated or humoral immune response
Chemokines Receptor Signaling
Non-Signaling “Silent” Receptors
Structurally unable to elicit migration or activate conventional signaling responses
DARC and D6
* Bind both CXC and CC
* Highly expressed on RBC
* High affinity
* Scavenger receptors which may act as chemokines sink
Functions of Chemokines and Chemokines Receptors
Role of Chemokines in Leukocyte Recruitment
Provide directional cues for movement of leukocytes
* Development, homeostasis, inflammation
Lead to high-affinity integrin-mediated extravasation of leukocytes
Important for homeostatic circulation of leukocytes through tissues
* SDF-1 (CSCL12) is critical for the migration of myeloid precursors from fetal liver to bone marrow.
* Eotaxin (CCL11) recruits eosinophils into tissues
Specific homing signatires (Area Codes) for memory T cells directed for specific sites in tissue
* CCR4-Cutaneus Lymphocyte Antigen 1: SKIN
* CCR9-alpha2beta7 integrin: GUT
Early pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1 and TNF-alpha), bacterial products (LPS) and viral infection stimulate chemokine release
Combination of selectin, chemokine and integrin interactions with receptors coordinate recruitment of leukocytes to tissues.
Chemokine Regulation of Leukocyte Movement
CXC Chemokines
Presence or absence of glutamic acid-leucine-arginine (ELR)
Key function of ELR+ CXC chemokines is to attract neutrophils to site of inflammation
* CXCL1, CXCL2, CXCL8
* IL-1, TNF-alpha and LPS elicit production
* Orchestrate early phases of wound healing (angiogenic)
Several ELR are angiostatic
* CXC chemokines (CXCL9, CXCL10, CXCL11) and the receptor they bind (CXCR3)
* All are induced by IFN-gamma.