Abstract
Chemokines are small proteins that primarily regulate the traffic of leukocytes under homeostatic conditions and during specific immune responses. The chemokine-chemokine receptor system comprises almost 50 chemokines and approximately 20 chemokine receptors; thus, there is no unique ligand for each receptor and the binding of different chemokines to the same receptor might have disparate effects. Complicating the system further, these effects depend on the cellular milieu. In cancer, although chemokines are associated primarily with the generation of a protumoral microenvironment and organ-directed metastasis, they also mediate other phenomena related to disease progression, such as angiogenesis and even chemoresistance. Therefore, the chemokine system is becoming a target in cancer therapeutics. We review the emerging data and correlations between chemokines/chemokine receptors and breast cancer, their implications in cancer progression, and possible therapeutic strategies that exploit the chemokine system.
Highlights
Chemokines are small proteins that primarily regulate the trafficking of leukocytes under homeostatic conditions and during specific immune responses
We review the emerging data and correlations between chemokines/chemokine receptors and breast cancer, their implications in cancer progression, and possible therapeutic strategies that exploit the chemokine system
Chemokines and chemokine receptors play a key role along these processes, since they comprise the main regulatory system leading leukocyte infiltration in primary tumors, and intervene in cancer cells proliferation and in metastasis guidance
Summary
Chemokines are small proteins that primarily regulate the trafficking of leukocytes under homeostatic conditions and during specific immune responses. Chemokines guide the migration and adhesion of leukocytes and influence other cellular functions, such as proliferation, maturation, angiogenesis, and malignant transformation [1, 2]. These effects are mediated by binding to Gprotein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) with 7 transmembrane domains [2]. Chemokines and chemokine receptors play a key role along these processes, since they comprise the main regulatory system leading leukocyte infiltration in primary tumors, and intervene in cancer cells proliferation and in metastasis guidance. We review the emerging data and correlations between chemokines and breast cancer, from their implications in cancer progression to therapeutic strategies that exploit the chemokine system
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