Chemokine

Chemokine
One of a large group of proteins that act as lures and were first found attracting white blood cells. The chemokines are involved in a wide variety of processes including acute and chronic types of inflammation, infectious diseases, and cancer. Chemokines may lure cancer cells and help determine the sites to which cancer cells spread by metastasis. The first chemokine to be identified was interleukin-8 (IL-8). Other chemokines include platelet factor 4, platelet basic protein, melanoma growth stimulatory protein, macrophage inflammatory protein 2, etc.

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che·mo·kine -'kīn n any of a group of chemotactic cytokines that are produced by various cells (as at sites of inflammation), that are thought to provide directional cues for the movement of white blood cells (as T cells, monocytes, and neutrophils), and that include some playing a role in HIV infection because the cell surface receptors to which they bind are also used by specific strains of HIV for entry into cells

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che·mo·kine (keґmo-kīn) any of a family of low molecular weight (8–10 kD) cytokines that induce chemotaxis or chemokinesis in leukocytes (or in particular populations of leukocytes). They are classified into four groups, based on the structural arrangement of conserved cysteine: CXC or &agr;, CC or &bgr;, C or &ggr;, and CX3C or &dgr;, where C is cysteine and X is another amino acid. Chemokines are regulators of the immune system and may also play roles in the circulatory and central nervous systems.

Medical dictionary. 2011.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Chemokine —   [zu griechisch kineĩn »bewegen«], Immunologie: Zytokine …   Universal-Lexikon

  • Chemokine — Small cytokines (intecrine/chemokine), interleukin 8 like Solution structure of interleukin 8, a chemokine of the CXC subfamily Identifiers Symbol IL8 …   Wikipedia

  • Chemokine — Dreidimensionale Struktur des Chemokins Interleukin 8 (CXCL8) in seiner dimeren Form Chemokine (Name abgeleitet aus chemotaktische Zytokine), sind eine Gruppe der Zytokine, also kleine Signalproteine, die bei Zellen eine Wanderungsbewegung… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • chemokine receptors — are G protein linked serpentine receptors that, in addition to binding chemokines, are used as co receptors for the binding of immunodeficiency viruses (HIV, SIV, FIV) to leucocytes. CXCR4 is a co receptor for T tropic viruses, CCR5 for… …   Dictionary of molecular biology

  • Chemokine receptor — Typical structure of a chemokine receptor, with seven transmembrane domains and a characteristic DRY motif in the second intracellular domain. Chemokine receptors are usually linked to a G protein through which they signal. Chemokine receptors… …   Wikipedia

  • Chemokine receptor — A molecule that receives a chemokine and a chemokine dock. A chemokine is a protein that acts as a lure. Chemokines are involved in inflammation, cancer, and infectious diseases. Several chemokine receptors are essential coreceptors for HIV …   Medical dictionary

  • chemokine — noun Etymology: chem + kine (as in cytokine) Date: 1992 any of a group of cytokines produced by various cells (as at sites of inflammation) that stimulate chemotaxis in white blood cells (as neutrophils and T cells) …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • chemokine — che·mo·kine (kēʹmō kīn , kĕmʹō ) n. Any of various cytokines produced in acute and chronic inflammation that mobilize and activate white blood cells.   [chemo + cytokine.] * * * …   Universalium

  • chemokine — noun Any of various cytokines, produced during inflammation, that organize the leukocytes. Syn: eotaxin …   Wiktionary

  • chemokine — che·mo·kine …   English syllables

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