Abstract
Autoimmune diseases are diseases
characterized by local or systemic abnormal inflammatory immune
responses. With the in-depth exploration of the pathological mechanism
of autoimmune diseases, it is found that occurrence and development of
autoimmune diseases are largely related to the interaction between
chemokine receptors and chemokines expressed at inflammatory sites.
CCR7, one of Chemokine receptors members, binds to CCL21, which
regulates lymphocyte homing, neovascularization and immune cells
migration in autoimmune diseases. However, the underlying signaling
pathways of CCL21/CCR7 need to be further explored. Despite the enormous
advances in our knowledge of chemokines, research about the involvement
of CCL21/CCR7 in autoimmune diseases progression is still limited. Thus,
in this review, we summarize the essential role of CCL21/CCR7 in
autoimmune diseases progression. Further studies are critical to
illustrate the distinct roles of CCL21/CCR7 in autoimmune diseases
progression, and are important significance for discovery of new
biomarkers and drug targets of autoimmune diseases.
Key words: CCL21, CCR7, Cell Migration, Autoimmune Diseases,
Signaling Pathway