Description
Interleukin 8 (IL-8 )(CXCL8) is secreted primarily by macrophages and monocytes. It is one of the key mediators for inflammatory responses. IL-8 is a strong chemotractant for newtrophiles and monoccytes, and promotes activation of these target cells by binding to two cell surface receptors CXCR1 and CXCR2. It is also a strong angiogenic agent, and is considered to play a role in the pathogenesis of bronchiolitis. Biotinylated CXCL8 is made using the enzymatic method, which has several advantages over chemical biotinylation methods. The attachment of biotin at a specific lysine residue is nearly 100% complete, and leads to a modified chemokine with functionalities comparable to those of the unmodified CXCL8 in migration assay. Utilizing avidin/streptavidin analogues conjugated to various fluorescent labels, biotinylated CXCL8 is useful in studies on receptor identification, distribution, chemokine binding, and other cellular assays. They serve as great tools in visualization and quantification, and can replace radioactively labeled chemokines