Eotaxin-3/CCL26

CCL26, also known as Eotaxin-3, macrophage inflammatory protein 4-alpha (MIP-4-alpha), a small cytokine of the CC chemokine family, is located on chromosome 7 in the human genome. It is expressed in a variety of tissues, including heart, lung and ovary, and in endothelial cells stimulated by the cytokine interleukin 4. It is chemotactic for eosinophils and basophils and acts by binding to the cell surface chemokine receptor CCR3 or CX3CR1. Among them, CCR3 is a CCR selectively expressed on eosinophils, basophils and some Th2 cells.CCR3 is thought to be associated with Th2-mediated diseases, including AD and asthma, while CX3CR1 is associated with Th1-mediated diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes mellitus, lichen planus and psoriasis. CCL26 may play a dual role in the pathogenesis of allergy and other diseases such as eosinophilic esophagitis and Churg-Strauss syndrome by attracting both CCR3-expressing cells and CX3CR1-expressing cells. In addition, CCL26 also acts as a natural antagonist of CCR1, CCR2 and CCR5[1][2].