Antigen-presenting cell chemokine receptors (APC chemokine receptors)

Antigen-presenting cell (APC) chemokine receptors are a functional class of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) expressed on professional APCs, such as dendritic cells, macrophages, and B cells. These receptors, including CCR1, CCR5, CCR6, CCR7, and CXCR4, are essential for the spatial and temporal regulation of immune cell trafficking, enabling APCs to migrate to sites of injury and subsequently to lymph nodes for antigen presentation and T-cell activation. In therapeutic contexts, these receptors are targeted to either block the recruitment of inflammatory cells (e.g., using CCR1 or CCR5 antagonists) or to facilitate the delivery of vaccines by targeting antigens directly to APCs via chemokine-receptor interactions (e.g., CCL20-targeting). Furthermore, certain receptors like CXCR4 and CCR5 serve as co-receptors for viral entry (e.g., HIV), making them critical targets for anti-infective therapies. In oncology, the modulation of APC chemokine receptors is explored to enhance the infiltration of dendritic cells into the tumor microenvironment, thereby boosting anti-tumor immunity.

Other names

Antigen-presenting cell chemokine receptorsDendritic cell chemokine receptorsMacrophage chemokine receptorsAPC-targeted chemokine receptorsCCRCXCR

Antagonism of receptor-mediated cell recruitment or viral entry; Agonism or ligand-mediated targeting for antigen delivery to professional antigen-presenting cells.