ABSTRACT
Leukocyte recruitment is a multistep process involving several protein families, including adhesion molecules (such as selectins and integrins), matrix metalloproteinases, and chemotactic factors. The latter include the chemokines, a family of structurally-related chemotactic cytokines that direct the migration of leukocytes throughout the body, under both physiological and pathological conditions.1 Successful trafficking of the appropriate leukocyte population to restricted sites depends on local secretion of chemokine repertoires and on the programmed expression of chemokine receptors on leukocytes.
