CCL13 gene

The CCL13 gene (CCL13 stands for: C-C Motif Chemokine Ligand 13) is a protein-coding gene located on chromosome 17q12.

This antimicrobial gene is one of several Cys-Cys (CC) cytokine genes grouped on the q arm of chromosome 17. Cytokines are a family of secreted proteins involved in immunoregulatory and inflammatory processes. The CC cytokines are proteins characterized by two adjacent cysteines.

The cytokine encoded by this gene - Monocyte Chemoattractant Protein 4 (CCL13) - has chemotactic activity for monocytes, lymphocytes, basophils and eosinophils, but not for neutrophils. CCL13 signals via CCR2B and CCR3 receptors. The chemokine CCL13 plays a role in the recruitment of leukocytes during inflammation. It may also be involved in the recruitment of monocytes into the arterial wall during atherosclerosis.

Diseases associated with CCL13 include mansonelliasis (a form of filariasis that is common in sub-Saharan Africa and some areas of Central and South America and the Caribbean and is caused by the parasitic worms Mansonella perstans and Mansonella ozzardi) and various allergic diseases (see atopic dermatitis below).

1. Baumann R et al. (2013) Comparison of the nasal release of IL-4, IL-10, IL-17, CCL13/MCP-4, and CCL26/eotaxin-3 in allergic rhinitis during season and after allergen challenge. Am J Rhinol Allergy 27:266-272.
2. Cohen JM et al. (2008) Acometimento ocular em pacientes com mansonelose [Ocular manifestations in mansonelliasis]. Arq Bras Oftalmol 71:167-171.
3. Downes BL et al. (2010) A Systematic Review of the Epidemiology of Mansonelliasis. Afr J Infect Dis. 4:7-14.
4. Gao F et al. (2015) Association of CCL13 levels in serum and synovial fluid with the radiographic severity of knee osteoarthritis. J Investig Med 63:545-547.
5. Iwamoto T et al. (2006) Monocyte chemoattractant protein-4 (MCP-4)/CCL13 is highly expressed in cartilage from patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatology (Oxford) 45:421-424.
6. Mendez-Enriquez E et al. (2013) The multiple faces of CCL13 in immunity and inflammation. Inflammopharmacology 21:397-406. Yanaba K et al. (2010) CCL13 is a promising diagnostic marker for systemic sclerosis. Br J Dermatol 162:332-336.