Mucosae Associated Epithelia Chemokine (MEC)

CCL28  is a chemokine. CCL28 regulates the chemotaxis of cells that express the chemokine receptors CCR3 and CCR10. CCL28 is expressed by columnar epithelial cells in the gut, lung, breast and the salivary glands and drives the mucosal homing of T and B lymphocytes that express CCR10, and the migration of eosinophils expressing CCR3.

This chemokine is constitutively expressed in the colon, but its levels can be increased by pro-inflammatory cytokines and certain bacterial products implying a role in effector cell recruitment to sites of epithelial injury. CCL28 has also been implicated in the migration of IgA-expressing cells to the mammary gland, salivary gland, intestine and other mucosal tissues.