Studies with neutralizing antibodies suggest CXCL8-mediated neutrophil activation is independent of C-C motif chemokine receptor-like 2 (CCRL2) ligand binding function

C-C motif chemokine receptor-like 2 (CCRL2) is a non-signaling 7 transmembrane receptor that binds chemotactic ligands to shape leukocyte recruitment to sites of inflammation. However, there is a lack of consensus on the ligands that directly bind CCRL2 or their functional impact. Studies with CCRL2 knockout mice have demonstrated that neutrophils have impaired degranulation and migration in response to CXCL8, where the underlying molecular mechanism is proposed to be due to the formation of CCRL2 heterodimers with the chemokine receptor CXCR2. Herein, we characterized the ligands that bind directly to CCRL2 and interrogated the impact of CCRL2 neutralization on CXCL8 signaling in neutrophils using pharmacological antibody tools. Using flow cytometry and Surface Plasmon Resonance microscopy (SPRm) cell binding experiments, we confirmed that chemerin, but not previously reported C-C chemokines, binds CCRL2. Furthermore, we identified human and mouse CCRL2 antibodies that neutralized chemerin binding to CCRL2. Unexpectedly, we found that neutralization of CCRL2 with these antibodies did not attenuate CXCL8-induced human neutrophil degranulation nor CXCL8-induced murine neutrophil recruitment to the peritoneum. Based on the observed differences in modulating CCRL2 function with neutralizing antibodies compared to the reported CCRL2 deficient murine models, we hypothesize that the ligand binding function of CCRL2 is dispensable for CXCL8 signaling in neutrophils. Finally, extensive profiling of CCRL2 expression on peripheral blood leukocytes revealed monocytes, dendritic cells (DC), and subpopulations of natural killer T (NKT) cells as additional targets, highlighting potential roles for CCRL2 in human cell types beyond neutrophils that warrants future investigation.

Toward a women-centered health care system: women's experiences, women's voices, women's needs

In this report we describe the results from 19 focus groups of nearly 250 women held in 1993 and 1994, in which diverse groups of women were asked to respond to a model health care delivery system. This project, sponsored by the Women's Health Advisory Committee of the San Francisco Department of Public Health, solicited focused input from diverse groups of women as they reviewed the draft of an "ideal" women's health care service model. Women's responses to an ideal system revealed some of the problems inherent with the current "nonsystem" of health care delivery. These responses were categorized into general themes and are presented here to demonstrate the range of women's experiences with their current health care, from their perspective and in their voices.