[Interceptors:--"silent" chemokine receptors]

Abstract

The physiological effect caused by chemokines is regulated by interactions with a group of rodopsin-like G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). These receptors share a number of common features: the polypeptide chain is a 7-transmembrane ?-helix (7 TMD motif) and the region involved in G-protein interaction (the DRYLAIV sequence) is located in the second transmembrane loop. So far, 19 chemokine receptors have been identified. Three of them (Duffy glycoprotein, D6, and CCX-CKR proteins), although structurally related to other GPCRs, lack the ability of G-protein signal transduction. Instead, they efficiently internalize their cognate ligands, regulating chemokine levels in various body compartments. These three proteins are suggested to form a distinct chemokine receptor family, designated "interceptors" or "silent" chemokine receptors.