Abstract:
CCR5 and its interaction with chemokine ligands have been crucial for understanding
and tackling HIV-1 entry into target cells. However, over time, CCR5 has witnessed
an impressive transition from being considered rather unimportant in physiology and
pathology to becoming central in a growing number of pathophysiological conditions.
It now turns out that the massive efforts devoted to combat HIV-1 entry by interfering
with CCR5, and the subsequent production of chemokine ligand variants, small chemical
compounds, and other molecular entities and strategies, may set the therapeutic
standards for a wealth of different pathologies. Expressed on various cell types, CCR5
plays a vital role in the inflammatory response by directing cells to sites of inflammation.
Aside HIV-1, CCR5 has been implicated in other infectious diseases and non-infectious
diseases such as cancer, atherosclerosis, and inflammatory bowel disease. Individuals
carrying the CCR5Δ32 mutation live a normal life and are warranted a natural barrier to
HIV-1 infection. Therefore, CCR5 antagonism and gene-edited knockout of the receptor
gained growing interest for the therapeutic role that CCR5 blockade may play in the
attenuation of the severity or progression of numerous diseases.