Chemokine receptors intracellular trafficking

Chemokines coordinate leukocyte recruitment during inflammatory and immune responses through the interaction with a distinct subfamily of G protein-coupled receptors. The magnitude of the cellular response elicited by chemokines is dictated by the level of receptor expression at the plasma membrane, which is the balance of finely tuned endocytic and recycling pathways. Recent data have revealed that receptor trafficking properties can drive chemokine receptors to lysosomal degradation or recycling pathways, producing opposite effects on the strength of the intracellular signaling cascade. This review will cover recent advances on the molecular mechanisms underlying chemokine receptor internalization, recycling and degradation pathways, with particular attention to structural motifs present in receptor intracellular domains and their interacting adaptor proteins that modulate receptor trafficking and dictate proper biological response.