Description
CCL7, also known as Monocyte Chemotactic Protein-3 (MCP-3), is a secreted chemokine that attracts macrophages, monocytes, and eosinophils during inflammation and metastasis. It is a member of the C-C subfamily of chemokines which are characterized by having two adjacent cysteine residues. In vivo, this protein is a substrate of matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP2), an enzyme that degrades components of the extracellular matrix. The gene that encodes CCL7 is part of a cluster of C-C chemokine family members on chromosome 17q. CCL7 binds to CCR1, CCR2, and CCR3 receptors and appears to be an antagonist for the CCR5 receptor