Leukocyte recruitment from the circulation into inflammatory tissues requires a series of
soluble and cell-bound signals between the responding leukocyte and vascular endothelial
barrier. Chemotactic factors are believed to be responsible for this selective adhesion and
transmigration. A superfamily of small, soluble, structurally-related molecules called
'chemokines' have been identified and shown to selectively promote the rapid adhesion and
chemotaxis of a variety of leukocyte subtypes both in vivo and in vitro. Chemokines are …