Cutting Edge: Expression of Chemokine Receptor CXCR1 on Human Effector CD8+ T Cells

IL-8 is a potent inflammatory cytokine that induces chemotaxis of neutrophils expressing CXCR1 and CXCR2, thus indicating its involvement in the migration of these cells to inflammatory sites where bacteria proliferate. Presently, we showed that CXCR1+ cells were predominantly found among CD8+ T cells having effector phenotype, and that the expression of CXCR1 was positively correlated with that of perforin, suggesting that CXCR1 is expressed on effector CD8+ T cells. Indeed, human CMV-specific CD8+ T cells from healthy individuals, which mostly express the effector phenotype and have cytolytic function, expressed CXCR1, whereas EBV-specific CD8+ T cells, which mostly express the memory phenotype and have no cytolytic function, did not express this receptor. The results of a chemotaxis assay showed that the migration of CXCR1+CD8+ T cells was induced by IL-8. These results suggest that the IL-8-CXCR1 pathway plays an important role in the homing of effector CD8+ T cells.