Chemokines in allergy

Knowledge of the chemokine superfamily has undergone a dramatic expansion d uring the pest decade. Currently, we are witnessing a transition from a pha se of molecular discovery to a phase of disease associations and the establ ishment of functional (clinical) relevance. Recent data regarding the expre ssion of chemokines and their receptors in pathologically relevant cells as well as observations using gene-targeting approaches have given us a bette r understanding of the complex mechanisms involved in leukocyte recruitment and inflammation as well as their potential role in the immunopathogenesis of human diseases.