Molecular cloning and functional expression of two monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 receptors reveals alternative splicing of the carboxyl-terminal tails. |
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| Authors: | I F Charo S J Myers A Herman C Franci A J Connolly S R Coughlin |
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| Affiliation: | Gladstone Institute of Cardiovascular Disease, San Francisco, CA 94141-9100. |
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| Abstract: | Monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1) is a member of the chemokine family of cytokines that mediate leukocyte chemotaxis. The potent and specific activation of monocytes by MCP-1 may mediate the monocytic infiltration of tissues in atherosclerosis and other inflammatory diseases. We have isolated cDNAs that encode two MCP-1-specific receptors with alternatively spliced carboxyl tails. Expression of the receptors in Xenopus oocytes conferred robust mobilization of intracellular calcium in response to nanomolar concentrations of MCP-1 but not to related chemokines. The MCP-1 receptors are most closely related to the receptor for the chemokines macrophage inflammatory protein 1 alpha and RANTES (regulated on activation, normal T expressed and secreted). The identification of the MCP-1 receptor and cloning of two distinct isoforms provide powerful tools for understanding the specificity and signaling mechanisms of this important chemokine. |
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