title: The CC chemokine CCL20 and its receptor CCR6.
abstract: CCL20, alternatively named liver and activation-regulated chemokine (LARC), macrophage inflammatory protein-3alpha (MIP-3alpha) or Exodus-1, is the only chemokine known to interact with CC chemokine receptor 6 (CCR6), a property shared with the antimicrobial beta-defensins. The ligand-receptor pair CCL20-CCR6 is responsible for the chemoattraction of immature dendritic cells (DC), effector/memory T-cells and B-cells and plays a role at skin and mucosal surfaces under homeostatic and inflammatory conditions, as well as in pathology, including cancer and rheumatoid arthritis. In this review, the discovery, the gene and protein structure, the in vitro biological activities, the cell and inducer specific expression and the tissue distribution of CCL20 and CCR6 are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Molecular Immunology, Rega Institute for Medical Research, Minderbroedersstraat 10, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium. evemie.schutyser@rega.kuleuven.ac.be
authors.forename: Evemie
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Schutyser
authors.forename: Sofie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Struyf
authors.forename: Jo
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Van Damme
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000276:immunology; D054418:Chemokine CCL20; D019742:Chemokines, CC / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D006706:Homeostasis; D006801:Humans; D007962:Leukocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D019402:Macrophage Inflammatory Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D054399:Receptors, CCR6; D019707:Receptors, Chemokine / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D016415:Sequence Alignment
chemical_list: C108355:CCL20 protein, human; C106311:CCR6 protein, human; D054418:Chemokine CCL20; D019742:Chemokines, CC; D019402:Macrophage Inflammatory Proteins; D054399:Receptors, CCR6; D019707:Receptors, Chemokine