Chemokine receptors are cytokine receptors found on the surface of certain cells that interact with a type of

cytokine Cytokines () are a broad and loose category of small proteins (~5–25 kDa) important in cell signaling. Cytokines are produced by a broad range of cells, including immune cells like macrophages, B cell, B lymphocytes, T cell, T lymphocytes ...

called a chemokine. There have been 20 distinct chemokine receptors discovered in humans. Each has a rhodopsin-like 7-

transmembrane A transmembrane protein is a type of integral membrane protein that spans the entirety of the cell membrane. Many transmembrane proteins function as gateways to permit the transport of specific substances across the membrane. They frequently u ...

(7TM) structure and couples to G-protein for signal transduction within a cell, making them members of a large protein family of G protein-coupled receptors. Following interaction with their specific chemokine

ligand In coordination chemistry, a ligand is an ion or molecule with a functional group that binds to a central metal atom to form a coordination complex. The bonding with the metal generally involves formal donation of one or more of the ligand's el ...

s, chemokine receptors trigger a flux in intracellular calcium (Ca²⁺) ions ( calcium signaling). This causes cell responses, including the onset of a process known as

chemotaxis Chemotaxis (from ''chemical substance, chemo-'' + ''taxis'') is the movement of an organism or entity in response to a chemical stimulus. Somatic cells, bacteria, and other single-cell organism, single-cell or multicellular organisms direct thei ...

that traffics the cell to a desired location within the organism. Chemokine receptors are divided into different families, CXC chemokine receptors, CC chemokine receptors, CX3C chemokine receptors and XC chemokine receptors that correspond to the 4 distinct subfamilies of chemokines they bind. The four subfamilies of chemokines differ in the spacing of structurally important cysteine residues near the N-terminal of the chemokine.

Structure

Chemokine receptors are G protein-coupled receptors containing 7

helices that are found predominantly on the surface of leukocytes. Approximately 19 different chemokine receptors have been characterized to date, which share many common structural features. They are composed of about 350

amino acid Amino acids are organic compounds that contain both amino and carboxylic acid functional groups. Although over 500 amino acids exist in nature, by far the most important are the 22 α-amino acids incorporated into proteins. Only these 22 a ...

s that are divided into a short and acidic N-terminal end, seven transmembrane helices with three intracellular and three

extracellular This glossary of biology terms is a list of definitions of fundamental terms and concepts used in biology, the study of life and of living organisms. It is intended as introductory material for novices; for more specific and technical definitions ...

hydrophilic loops, and an intracellular C-terminus containing serine and threonine residues that act as

phosphorylation In biochemistry, phosphorylation is described as the "transfer of a phosphate group" from a donor to an acceptor. A common phosphorylating agent (phosphate donor) is ATP and a common family of acceptor are alcohols: : This equation can be writ ...

sites during receptor regulation. The first two extracellular loops of chemokine receptors are linked together by disulfide bonding between two conserved cysteine residues. The N-terminal end of a chemokine receptor binds to chemokines and is important for ligand specificity. G-proteins couple to the C-terminal end, which is important for receptor signaling following ligand binding. Although chemokine receptors share high amino acid identity in their primary sequences, they typically bind a limited number of ligands. Chemokine receptors are redundant in their function as more than one chemokine is able to bind to a single receptor.

Signal transduction

Intracellular signaling by chemokine receptors is dependent on neighbouring G-proteins. G-proteins exist as a heterotrimer; they are composed of three distinct subunits. When the molecule GDP is bound to the G-protein subunit, the G-protein is in an inactive state. Following binding of the chemokine ligand, chemokine receptors associate with G-proteins, allowing the exchange of GDP for another molecule called GTP, and the dissociation of the different G protein subunits. The subunit called Gα activates an

enzyme An enzyme () is a protein that acts as a biological catalyst by accelerating chemical reactions. The molecules upon which enzymes may act are called substrate (chemistry), substrates, and the enzyme converts the substrates into different mol ...

known as Phospholipase C (PLC) that is associated with the

cell membrane The cell membrane (also known as the plasma membrane or cytoplasmic membrane, and historically referred to as the plasmalemma) is a biological membrane that separates and protects the interior of a cell from the outside environment (the extr ...

. PLC cleaves Phosphatidylinositol (4,5)-bisphosphate (PIP2) to form two second messenger molecules called inositol triphosphate (IP3) and diacylglycerol (DAG); DAG activates another enzyme called protein kinase C (PKC), and IP3 triggers the release of calcium from intracellular stores. These events promote many signaling cascades, effecting a cellular response. For example, when CXCL8 (IL-8) binds to its specific receptors, CXCR1 or CXCR2, a rise in intracellular calcium activates the enzyme phospholipase D (PLD) that goes on to initiate an intracellular signaling cascade called the MAP kinase pathway. At the same time, the G-protein subunit Gα directly activates an enzyme called protein tyrosine kinase (PTK), which phosphorylates serine and threonine residues in the tail of the chemokine receptor, causing its desensitisation or inactivation. The initiated MAP kinase pathway activates specific cellular mechanisms involved in

, degranulation, release of

superoxide In chemistry, a superoxide is a compound that contains the superoxide ion, which has the chemical formula . The systematic name of the anion is dioxide(1−). The reactive oxygen ion superoxide is particularly important as the product of t ...

anions, and changes in the avidity of cell adhesion molecules called integrins. Chemokines and their receptors play a crucial role in cancer metastasis as they are involved in extravasation, migration, micrometastasis, and angiogenesis. This role of chemokine is strikingly similar to their normal function of localizing leukocytes to an inflammatory site.

Families

* CXC chemokine receptors (six members) * CC chemokine receptors (ten/eleven members) * C chemokine receptors (one member, XCR1) * CX₃C chemokine receptors (one member, CX3CR1) Fifty chemokines have been discovered so far, and most bind onto CXC and CC families. Two types of chemokines that bind to these receptors are inflammatory chemokines and homeostatic chemokines. Inflammatory chemokines are expressed upon leukocyte activation, whereas homeostatic chemokines show continual expression.

References

External links

*
The Cytokine Receptor Database
{{Chemokine receptor modulators Cell biology Integral membrane proteins