Chemokines in tumor immunotherapy.

The chemokines are a family of small molecules that mediate cell migration, activation, differentiation, angiogenesis, and perhaps other functions. The chemokines have been classified by their amino acid composition, functional activity, and receptor binding properties. The chemokines receptors are 7 transmembrane G proteins and there is considerable redundancy in ligand specificity. The role of chemokines in cancer is not well understood, but there is accumulating evidence that they play a major role in both tumorigenesis and the host immune response to tumors. Thus, chemokines and their receptors represent potential therapeutic targets for drug development. This article will briefly review the current understanding of chemokines biology of defined chemokines that are thought to be involved in tumor growth, metastasis, and the host immune response against cancer.