C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 1 (CXCL1) (CXCL1)

C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 1 (CXCL1), widely known as Growth-regulated alpha protein or GRO-alpha, is a small proinflammatory cytokine belonging to the CXC chemokine family [1, 5, 6]. It serves as a primary chemoattractant for the recruitment and activation of neutrophils, signaling predominantly through the G-protein coupled receptor CXCR2 [4, 10, 19]. Beyond its role in acute inflammation and the innate immune response, CXCL1 is a potent mediator of angiogenesis and tissue repair [2, 18, 19]. In oncology, aberrant CXCL1 expression is frequently observed in the tumor microenvironment, where it drives cancer cell proliferation, metastasis, and the recruitment of immunosuppressive cells like myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) [7, 9, 14, 18]. Therapeutic efforts are currently focused on disrupting the CXCL1-CXCR2 axis using small molecule antagonists to treat chronic inflammatory diseases and overcome therapy resistance in various cancers [1, 7, 12].

Other names

Growth-regulated alpha proteinGRO-alphaGRO1 oncogeneMelanoma growth-stimulating activity alpha (MGSA-a)Neutrophil-activating protein 3 (NAP-3)Small inducible cytokine B1 (SCYB1)Fibroblast secretory protein (FSP)Keratinocyte-derived chemokine (KC)Cytokine-induced neutrophil chemoattractant 1 (CINC-1)

CXCR2 antagonism to inhibit CXCL1-mediated neutrophil recruitment and tumor signaling [1, 7, 12]