Nature Communications (Nov 2020)

Designed CXCR4 mimic acts as a soluble chemokine receptor that blocks atherogenic inflammation by agonist-specific targeting

  • Christos Kontos,
  • Omar El Bounkari,
  • Christine Krammer,
  • Dzmitry Sinitski,
  • Kathleen Hille,
  • Chunfang Zan,
  • Guangyao Yan,
  • Sijia Wang,
  • Ying Gao,
  • Markus Brandhofer,
  • Remco T. A. Megens,
  • Adrian Hoffmann,
  • Jessica Pauli,
  • Yaw Asare,
  • Simona Gerra,
  • Priscila Bourilhon,
  • Lin Leng,
  • Hans-Henning Eckstein,
  • Wolfgang E. Kempf,
  • Jaroslav Pelisek,
  • Ozgun Gokce,
  • Lars Maegdefessel,
  • Richard Bucala,
  • Martin Dichgans,
  • Christian Weber,
  • Aphrodite Kapurniotu,
  • Jürgen Bernhagen

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-19764-z
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 11, no. 1
pp. 1 – 18

Abstract

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The development of specific anti-cytokine/chemokine therapeutic strategies for atherosclerotic disease is challenging. Here, the authors have designed a peptide-based ectodomain mimic of the chemokine receptor CXCR4 that selectively targets MIF but not CXCL12 and blocks experimental atherosclerosis in vivo.