Question

What are chemokines?

• A. Cell surface receptors
• B. Specialized chemotactic cytokine
• C. Any foreign antigen
• D. Chemical based antibodies

Hint:

Break down the word "chemokine": \textbf{Chemo}tactic + cyto\textbf{kine}. It literally means a cytokine that causes chemical-guided movement.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
Chemokines are a family of small signaling proteins that play a crucial role in the immune system by directing the movement of cells.

Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
- Cytokines are a broad category of proteins that act as chemical messengers between cells, particularly those of the immune system. - Chemokines are a specific sub-family of cytokines. Their primary function is to induce directed cell migration, a process known as chemotaxis. - Immune cells, such as neutrophils and macrophages, follow the concentration gradient of chemokines to move from the blood into tissues towards a site of infection or inflammation. - Therefore, a chemokine is a specialized cytokine that has chemotactic (cell-attracting) activity.

Step 3: Final Answer:
The best definition for chemokines is that they are specialized chemotactic cytokines. Therefore, option (B) is correct.