Chemokines and inflammatory skin diseases.
Accumulating evidence indicates that chronically relapsing inflammatory skin diseases such as atopic dermatitis and psoriasis are T cell-mediated diseases. Thus, understanding the underlying mechanisms of memory T-cell homing to the skin may provide promising targets for the development of novel therapeutics to interfere with inflammatory processes of the skin. Chemokines, a superfamily of small cytokine-like, chemotactic proteins, have recently been shown to critically regulate leukocyte trafficking. Here we summarize results of recent studies associating chemokines with a psoriatic or atopic dermatitis phenotype and delineating their role in the recruitment of memory T cells to the skin.
Homey
B
B
Department of Dermatoloy, Heinrich-Heine-University, Moorenstrasse 5, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany. Bernhard.Homey@rz.uni-duesseldorf.de
Bünemann
E
E
D000818:Animals; D018925:Chemokines / Q000502:physiology*; D003876:Dermatitis, Atopic / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D007249:Inflammation / Q000378:metabolism*; D010641:Phenotype; D011565:Psoriasis / Q000378:metabolism*; D012871:Skin Diseases / Q000378:metabolism*; D015854:Up-Regulation
D018925:Chemokines; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents