Chemokine receptors
Chemokines play a crucial role in the regulation of immune responses,
also in the context of cancer, where the tumor microenvironment relies
on a delicate balance of immune cell recruitment and activation (Ozga,
Chow, & Luster, 2021). The interaction between chemokines and their
corresponding GPCRs is a fundamental mechanism governing immune cell
trafficking and positioning. For instance, CCL2 and CXCL12 bind to CCR2
and CXCR4/CXCR7 on immune cells respectively, directing the migration of
monocytes, macrophages, and T cells toward the tumor site (Kohli,
Pillarisetty, & Kim, 2022). Some chemokines have been reported to exert
pro-cancer effects such as CCL2/CCL7/CCL8/CCL13, while others have shown
anti-cancer effects such as CCL14 and CCL16 (Korbecki et al. ,
2020). The pro- and anti-cancer effects of chemokines-chemokine
receptors network were regulated in a context dependent manner, and
therefore abnormal expression or function of chemokine receptors may
disrupt the finely tuned signaling of immune responses (Strazza & Mor,
2020).