chemokine

(noun)

Any of various cytokines produced during inflammation that organize the leukocytes by providing a stimuli for chemotaxis.

Related Terms

Examples of chemokine in the following topics:

  • Types of Cytokines Participating in Immune Response

    • Chemokines are protein cytokines that are mainly involved in facilitating chemotaxis (chemical-stimulated movement) in immune cells.
    • By definition, inflammatory mediators in other classes of cytokines are also considered chemokines.

  • Nonrespiratory Air Movements

    • Anti-microbial peptides: Various chemokines and proteins that are secreted by the mucus membranes of the airways.

  • Functions of the Lymphatic System

    • Lymphatic vessels, which uptake various antigens from peripheral tissues, are positively regulated by chemokines/cytokines secreted by various immune cells during inflammation.

  • Natural Killer Cells

    • These cells named "natural killers" because they were thought to work without cytokine or chemokine activation.

  • Phagocytes

    • Once they have received the appropriate chemokine signals, neutrophils leave the bloodstream and reach the site of an infection through adhering to the vascular endothelium to squeeze into the tissues.