Raman, Dayanidhi; Howard, Cory M.; Tilley, Augustus M.C.; Sridharan, Sangita
description
Chemokines, or chemotactic cytokines, are a large family of soluble, secreted, small biomolecules that bind to and activate their
cognate chemokine G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs). Once activated, chemokine receptors elicit a cellular response to the
chemokine gradient. This allows the cell to directionally migrate in a precise, spatiotemporal context called chemotaxis. This ultimately
results in local or tissue-specific recruitment of a variety of cells. Once the cells have been mobilized to their appropriate location, they
facilitate a wide range of physiological events such as embryogenesis, wound healing, angiogenesis, leukocyte homeostasis, and
immune surveillance. Chemokine receptors are also implicated in several diseases. In certain contexts, these receptors will orchestrate
and facilitate pathological events resulting in several chronic inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, neurological diseases
(e.g., multiple sclerosis), and cancer (solid tumors and hematological malignancies). A hallmark feature of chemokine receptors in the
field of cancer biology is to promote the metastasis of tumor cells to distant sites of the body. Targeting chemokines and chemokine
receptors in the pathological setting may achieve control over such diseases. In this article, we will focus on physiological and
pathological roles of key CXC chemokine receptors such as CXCR1, CXCR2, CXCR4, and ACKR3 (CXCR7)