IL-8 Background Information
Interleukin-8, or IL-8, the prototypic member of the C-X-C, or a, family of chemokines, is a chemoattractant cytokine involved in the chemotaxis and activation of neutrophils. IL-8 expression has been correlated to a large number of chronic inflammatory diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and atherosclerosis. IL-8 is cleaved from a 99 amino acid precursor to a 72 amino acid, nonglycosylated, biologically active protein. IL-8 monomers and dimers exhibit a dynamic equilibrium both free in solution and in cell surface-bound forms and thus regulate chemotaxis and receptor signaling. Research has shown that IL-8 dimerization functions as a negative regulator for IL-8 receptor function. Two IL-8 receptors, designated IL-8RA and IL-8RB, have been described and share 77% sequence identity. Both are seven-transmembrane domain proteins (7TMD), similar to the G protein-coupled receptors and, in addition to IL-8, serve as receptors for other members of the a and b chemokine families.
