The chemokine receptor CXCR4 is involved in cancers and diverse diseases, however, molecular details surrounding the binding of different ligands to this receptor remain incomplete. Here, the authors study the binding and interaction between CXCR4 with CXCL12 and hBD-3 in different forms, and find that both ligands can bind with CXCR4 at the same site, and analogs of hBD-3 with a Cys11-Cys40 disulfide bond can activate CXCR4.
- Jackson Penfield
- Liqun Zhang