MONOCYTE CHEMOATTRACTANT PROTEIN-1 A POTENTIAL REGULATOR OF MONOCYTE RECRUITMENT IN INFLAMMATORY DISEASE

The appearance of specific types of leukocytes in inflammatory infiltr ates may be governed by cell-specific chemoattractants called chemokin es. In particular, monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1) has been implicated in diseases characterized by monocyte-rich infiltrates, in cluding atherosclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis. While we are beginning to understand the structural determinants that govern the activities of MCP-1 in vitro, we know much less about its p hysiological functions in vivo and its pathogenetic role in disease. H owever, recent data from genetically modified mice have begun to place MCP-1 in a central position in monocyte trafficking and activation.