Chemokines in the skin.

In last few years, focus has shifted from cytokines which have pleiotropic biologic properties to chemokines with target cell selective activity. The separation has led frequently espoused proposition that chemokines are involved in the pathogenesis of disease having specific infiltrates and point to possible role in Chronic skin diseases. Depending upon the structure these chemokines are divided into three subfamilies, two major subfamilies: CXC and CC, and one putative subfamily C with only one member known as lymphotactin. A recent insight into chemokine physiology comes from demonstration of interaction between chemokines and their cloned receptors. These chemokine receptors are members of the transmembrane spanning (7-TMS), G-protein- coupled receptor family. So far CXC chemokine receptors and seven CC receptors have been cloned. Recently, the importance of selective chemoattractant activity of chemokines has been overshadowed by chemokine receptors emerging as new targets for anti-HIV therapy as the connection between chemokines and HIV-I had been established. Among the CXC chemokine receptors, CXCR4, and among the CC chemokines receptors, CCRI, CCR2b, CCR3, and CCR5 have been implicated as HIV-1 coreceptors.