The viral chemokine macrophage inflammatory protein-II is a selective Th2 chemoattractant

S Sozzani, W Luini, G Bianchi… - Blood, The Journal …, 1998 - ashpublications.org
S Sozzani, W Luini, G Bianchi, P Allavena, TNC Wells, M Napolitano, G Bernardini, A Vecchi…
Blood, The Journal of the American Society of Hematology, 1998ashpublications.org
Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) lesions are characterized by a prominent leukocyte infiltrate
composed of mononuclear phagocytes and T cells. KS-associated CD4+ and CD8+ cells
showed predominantly a type II cytokine profile. The CC chemokine viral macrophage
inflammatory protein-II (vMIP-II) encoded by the KS-associated herpes virus 8 was a
selective chemoattractant for T helper 2 (Th2 cells) and for monocytes, whereas it was
inactive on other leukocytes, including Th1 cells, dendritic cells, and natural killer (NK) cells …
Abstract
Kaposi’s sarcoma (KS) lesions are characterized by a prominent leukocyte infiltrate composed of mononuclear phagocytes and T cells. KS-associated CD4+ and CD8+ cells showed predominantly a type II cytokine profile. The CC chemokine viral macrophage inflammatory protein-II (vMIP-II) encoded by the KS-associated herpes virus 8 was a selective chemoattractant for T helper 2 (Th2 cells) and for monocytes, whereas it was inactive on other leukocytes, including Th1 cells, dendritic cells, and natural killer (NK) cells. vMIP-II was an agonist for CCR8, a chemokine receptor selectively expressed on CD4+ and CD8+ cells with a type II cytokine profile. Hence, vMIP-II has agonist activity for a chemokine receptor (CCR8), which is preferentially expressed on polarized Th2 cells. The capacity of vMIP-II to attract type II T cells selectively is likely to be a component of the virus strategy to subvert the host immune response.
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