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Updated: Dec 29, 2025
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Screening Assays to Characterize Novel Endothelial Regulators Involved in the Inflammatory Response
Published on: September 15, 2017
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Using evasins to target the chemokine network in inflammation
Shoumo Bhattacharya1, Akane Kawamura1
1RDM Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom.
Advances in Protein Chemistry and Structural Biology
|January 31, 2020
Summary
Tick evasins, proteins that bind multiple chemokines, offer a novel strategy for treating inflammatory diseases by reducing overall chemokine load and disrupting signaling networks.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Parasitology
- Drug Discovery
Background:
- Inflammation involves a complex network of cytokines, chemokines, receptors, and leukocytes, impacting organ function in various diseases.
- Current anti-chemokine therapies face challenges due to the chemokine network's robustness, including high chemokine loads, promiscuous receptor expression, and feedback loops.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the potential of tick-derived evasins as a therapeutic strategy for inflammatory diseases.
- To explore how evasins can overcome the limitations of existing anti-chemokine treatments.
Main Methods:
- Identification and characterization of evasin homologs from diverse tick species.
- Analysis of evasin binding patterns to multiple chemokines.
- Evaluation of evasin activity in animal models of inflammatory disease.
Main Results:
- Over 50 evasin homologs were identified, with several exhibiting potent anti-chemokine activities.
- Evasins effectively reduce the total chemokine load at the site of inflammation.
- Evasins disrupt chemokine signaling and interrupt feedback loops, disabling the inflammatory network.
Conclusions:
- Tick evasins represent a promising natural model for developing new anti-chemokine therapeutics.
- Administering evasin combinations or evasin-mimicking peptides could reduce chemokine load and treat inflammatory diseases.
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