Black Flying Fox Bat IL-8 ELISpot

IL-8, also known as CXCL8, is a CXC family member chemokine produced by macrophages and other cell types such as epithelial cells. There have been 17 different CXC chemokines described in mammals, that are subdivided into two categories, those with a specific amino acid sequence (or motif) of glutamic acid-leucine-arginine (or ELR for short) immediately before the first cysteine of the CXC motif (ELR-positive), and those without an ELR motif (ELR-negative) . ELR-positive CXC chemokines such as IL-8 specifically induce the migration of neutrophils, and interact with chemokine receptors CXCR1 and CXCR2. IL-8 has two primary functions. It induces chemotaxis in target cells, primarily neutrophils but also other granulocytes, causing them to migrate toward the site of infection. IL-8 also stimulates phagocytosis once they have arrived. IL-8 is also known to be a potent promoter of angiogenesis. In target cells, IL-8 induces a series of physiological responses required for migration and phagocytosis, such as increases in intracellular Ca2+, exocytosis (e.g. histamine release), and the respiratory burst.