title: Current understanding of chemokine involvement in allograft transplantation.
abstract: Multiple studies have demonstrated that chemokines play an essential role in regulating and co-ordinating the infiltration of leucocytes into allografts. Chemokines are expressed in skin, liver, heart, and kidney allografts following initial engraftment, ischemic injury, viral infection, and acute and chronic rejection. To date, most of our understanding of chemokine biology has been generated from studies of animal models of transplantation and little is known about the role of chemokines in human allograft rejection. Chemokines may play important mechanistic roles in transplant rejection, in the development of graft arteriosclerosis, and in chronic sclerosing cholangiopathy. Furthermore, these molecules may serve as sensitive diagnostic indicators for the analysis of rejection, including chronic rejection or other forms of graft dysfunction. Lastly, it is possible that chemokine-targeted therapy might become a feasible option for the treatment of allograft rejection.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Melter
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: McMahon
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fang
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ganz
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Briscoe
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D018925:Chemokines / Q000737:chemistry / Q000145:classification / Q000276:immunology*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology* / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation; D019707:Receptors, Chemokine / Q000145:classification / Q000276:immunology; D014181:Transplantation Immunology / Q000276:immunology*; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D018925:Chemokines; D019707:Receptors, Chemokine