Description
CXCL11 also known as I-TAC is belonging to the CXC chemokine family and shares 36 % and 37 % amino acid sequence homology with IP-10 and MIG, respectively. It is highly expressed in peripheral blood leukocytes, pancreas and liver. Expression of CXCL11 is strongly induced by IFN-γ and IFN-β, and weakly induced by IFN-α. This chemokine elicits its effects by binding to the cell surface chemokine receptor CXCR3, which with a higher affinity than do the other chemokines for this receptor, CXCL9 and CXCL10. Similar to CXCL10, CXCL11 has been shown to be a chemoattractant for IL-2-activated T-lymphocytes, but not for isolated T-cells, neutrophils or monocytes.