Extracellular ATP, P2 receptors, and inflammation

Abstract

Over the past few years, P2 receptors have emerged as new potential players in the early phases of inflammation in their function of chemotactic receptors, triggers of proinflammatory cytokine release, and cytotoxic molecules. However, more recent data suggest that the role of P2 receptors in immunity is much more widespread and touches the very heart of the initiation of the immune response, i.e., antigen presentation by dendritic cells. © 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.