Role of chemokine receptors and intestinal epithelial cells in the mucosal inflammation and tolerance

The intestinal epithelial lining is a very dynamic interface, where multiple interactions occur with the external world. The intestinal epithelial barrier is continuously exposed to a huge load of commensal microorganisms, food-borne antigens, as well as invading enteropathogens. Intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) and underlying immune cells are the main players in maintaining the delicate balance between gut tolerance and inflammation. IECs deferentially express the variety of chemokines and chemokine receptors, and these receptor-ligand interactions not only mediate the infiltration and activation of immune cells but also switch on the survival cascades in IECs. In this review, we discussed how chemokine–chemokine receptor-induced interactions play a central role to coordinate the interplay between IECs and gut immune cells to maintain homeostasis or elicit gut inflammation. Furthermore, we discussed how chemokines and chemokine receptors were used as a target for developing new drugs and therapies to control gut inflammation and autoimmunity.