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Structure, function, and inhibition of chemokines
Elias J Fernandez1, Elias Lolis
1Department of Pharmacology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520-8066, USA. elias.fernandez@tennessee.edu
Annual Review of Pharmacology and Toxicology
|January 25, 2002
Summary
Chemokines, a large cytokine family, regulate cell migration via G protein-coupled receptors. This review covers their structure, function, and inhibition, highlighting their role in diseases like HIV-1.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Molecular Biology
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Chemokines are the largest cytokine family, crucial for immune cell trafficking.
- They are classified into subfamilies based on cysteine residue patterns.
- Chemokine activity involves G protein-coupled receptors and influences cell migration.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the structure, function, and inhibition of chemokines.
- To highlight the role of chemokines in inflammation, autoimmune diseases, and HIV-1 infection.
- To discuss structure-function relationships, particularly the N-terminal region's importance.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on chemokine structure and function.
- Analysis of structure-function studies.
- Identification and discussion of chemokine inhibitors.
Main Results:
- Chemokines exhibit conserved monomeric structure but diverse quaternary structures.
- The N-terminal region is critical for chemokine function.
- Various proteins and small molecules can inhibit chemokine activity.
Conclusions:
- Chemokines are key regulators of cell migration with diverse roles in health and disease.
- Understanding chemokine structure and function is vital for developing therapeutic inhibitors.
- Further research into chemokine inhibition holds promise for treating inflammatory and infectious diseases.