Fractalkine (CX3CL1) and Its Chemoattractant and Adhesion Molecule Properties in Health and Disease, 2nd Edition
A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Pathology, Diagnostics, and Therapeutics".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2025 | Viewed by 22
Special Issue Editor
Interests: inflammation; cytokine network; sirtuins; endothelial signaling; human placenta; stem cells; pathophysiology of diabetes
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Fractalkine (FKN), also known as CX3CL1, is the only member of the chemokine family containing a three-amino-acid motif between the two cysteines (C-X-X-X-C) and a mucin-like domain. This chemokine is made up of 373 amino acids and is synthesized as a transmembrane molecule. Moreover, after cleavage by the TNFα-converting enzyme ADAM17, FKN can exist in a soluble form. These peculiar structural characteristics of fractalkine go hand-in-hand with its unique functional properties, as FKN combines the features of a chemoattractant and an adhesion molecule. Both of these functions require the presence of a specific and sole FKN receptor, CX3C motif chemokine receptor 1 (CX3CR1), also known as G-protein coupled receptor 13 (GPR13). Considering that CX3CR1 expression has been demonstrated on many different cells, including but not limited to monocytes, microglia and macrophages, dendritic cells, T cells, natural killer (NK) cells, vascular endothelial cells, smooth and skeletal muscle cells, neurons, hepatocytes, adipocytes and endometrial cells, FKN signaling may be crucial in health and disease. FKN-CX3CR1 signaling exerts distinct functions in different tissue compartments and may be involved in a wide spectrum of biological phenomena, such as cell adhesion and chemotaxis, immune response, inflammation, apoptosis, implantation, angiogenesis, atherosclerosis, formation of endometriotic foci, neurotoxicity or carcinogenesis.
This Special Issue is dedicated to all aspects of FKN signaling, including both physiological and pathologic conditions. It may be extremely interesting to present the reasons for recognizing the FKN-CX3CR1 signaling pathway as the main therapeutic target in a given disease.
When considering your submission, please keep in mind that IJMS is a journal of molecular science. However, submissions of clinical studies that include biomolecular experiments or pathological research with case sample data are welcomed.
Prof. Dr. Dariusz Szukiewicz
Guest Editor
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Keywords
- fractalkine
- transmembrane fractalkine
- soluble fractalkine
- fractalkine receptor
- CX3CL1-CX3CR1 signaling
- inflammation
- chemokine
- cell adhesion
- chemotaxis
- immune response
- angiogenesis
- implantation
- atherosclerosis
- carcinogenesis
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