04: Cytokines, Chemokines, and Receptors

Cytokines

Cellular messengers, act as the “immunological hormone”

Ways that cytokines can be secreted/received

• Autocrine

• Paracrine

• Endocrine

Cytokine/chemokine receptor mechanism

Receives the signal and perpetuates a downstream intracellular response

Cytokine structure

Water soluble proteins

What do cytokines help control

Cellular function

Cytokine pleiotropy

The quality where a cytokine can produce a different response depending on the cell type that receives it

Cytokine redundancy

The quality where multiple cytokines can produce the same effect

Cytokine-cytokine interactions

Can be concerted or antagonizing to facilitate cross-regulation

Cytokine functions

• Hematopoiesis

• Directs development, activation, and suppression of immune cells

• Signals and directs immune cells to specific tissues

List the cytokine families

• Interleukins

• Colony-stimulating factors

• Interferons

• Tumor necrosis factor

• Chemokines

Chemokine structure

Small chemoattractant molecules

Chemokine function

Directs recruitment and migration of lymphocytes and leukocytes

How are chemokines named

According to the cysteine residue tertiary structure and whether there are other AAs present in that structure

Chemokine ligand notation

CCL#

Chemokine recepter notation

CCR#

Type of cytokine responsible for secondary lymphoid organ structure

Chemokines