The chemokine system in innate immunity

Abstract

Chemokines are chemotactic cytokinesthat control the migration and positioningofimmune cells in tissues and are critical for the function of the innate immune system. Chemokines control the release of innate immune cells from the bone marrow during homeostasis as well as inresponseto infection and inflammation. Theyalso recruit innate immune effectors out of the circulation and into the tissue where, in collaboration with other chemoattractants, they guide these cells to the very sites of tissue injury. Chemokine function is also critical for the positioning of innate immune sentinels in peripheral tissue and then, following innate immune activation, guiding these activated cells to the draining lymph node to initiate and imprint an adaptive immune response. In this review, we will highlight recent advances in understanding how chemokine function regulates the movement and positioning of innate immune cells at homeostasis and in response to acute inflammation, and then wewill review how chemokine-mediated innate immune cell trafficking playsanessential roleinlinking the innate and adaptive immune responses.