New development in studies of formyl-peptide receptors: critical roles in host defense

Formyl-peptide receptors are a family of 7 transmembrane domain, Gi-protein-coupled receptors that possess multiple functions in many pathophysiologic processes because of their expression in a variety of cell types and their capacity to interact with a variety of structurally diverse, chemotactic ligands. Accumulating evidence demonstrates that formyl-peptide receptors are critical mediators of myeloid cell trafficking in the sequential chemotaxis signal relays in microbial infection, inflammation, and immune responses. Formylpeptide receptors are also involved in the development and progression of cancer. In addition, one of the formylpeptide receptor family members, Fpr2, is expressed by normal mouse-colon epithelial cells, mediates cell responses to microbial chemotactic agonists, participates in mucosal development and repair, and protects against inflammation-associated tumorigenesis. These novel discoveries greatly expanded the current understanding of the role of formyl-peptide receptors in host defense and as potential molecular targets for the development of therapeutics.