[Chemokines, a new family of cytokines in inflammatory cell recruitment].
Cell recruitment is a crucial event in the establishment of both acute and chronic inflammatory responses, including acute and delayed type hypersensitivity reactions. Among other significant factors like adhesion molecules, chemokines and its receptors are crucial elements that lead leukocyte migration to the tissues. Chemokines are a large group of peptidic cytokines which have a conserved motif of 4 cisteins. These cistein residues form pairs which permit to classify them in two groups, the alpha and beta subfamilies. In general terms, alpha subfamily has preferential chemotactic activity on granulocytes, and beta subfamily attracts mainly lymphocytes and macrophages. Besides their chemotactic activity, chemokines also participate in some other important biological processes like hematopoiesis, angiogenesis, and anti-tumoral activity. Chemokines also play an important role in certain pathological conditions, for instance in some allergic processes they have an essential role in the pathogenesis. In autoimmune and infectious diseases, this cytokine family is also important as is suggested by the presence of chemokine receptors in rheumatoid arthritis inflammed synovia or the HIV receptor activity that chemokine receptors display which apparently play a significant role in the natural resistance against this infectious agent. Preferential leukocyte recruitment mediated by chemokines is a potential target for pharmacological modulation, which in turn may lead to a novel and efficient types of therapeutic control of inflammatory diseases with diverse etiology.
Martínez Martínez
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CM
Departamento de Patología, Instituto Nacional de la Nutrición Salvador Zubirán, México, D.F.
Hernández Pando
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R
D000818:Animals; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D002455:Cell Division; D018925:Chemokines / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D002633:Chemotaxis / Q000502:physiology*; D002634:Chemotaxis, Leukocyte / Q000187:drug effects; D006678:HIV / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D006967:Hypersensitivity / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D007239:Infections / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D007249:Inflammation / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D007962:Leukocytes / Q000502:physiology; D008264:Macrophages / Q000502:physiology; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic; D018919:Neovascularization, Physiologic; D019707:Receptors, Chemokine / Q000145:classification / Q000502:physiology
D018925:Chemokines; D019707:Receptors, Chemokine