Measurement of Chemokines at the Protein Level in Tissue

The recruitment of specific leukocyte subpopulations in response to injury is a fundamental mechanism of acute and chronic inflammation. The elicitation of leukocytes is dependent on a complex series of events, including reduced leukocyte deformability, endothelial cell activation, and expression of endothelial cell-derived leukocyte adhesion molecules; leukocyte-endothelial cell adhesion and leukocyte activation; and expression of leukocyte-derived adhesion molecules, leukocyte transendothelial migration, and leukocyte migration beyond the endothelial barrier along established chemotactic and haptotactic gradients. While the events of leukocyte extravasation may appear intuitive, it has taken more than 150 yr of research to elucidate the molecular and cellular steps involved in the process of leukocyte migration.