CCR7 is a transmembrane protein with 7 transmembrane domains, which is coupled with heterotrimeric G proteins, which transduce the signal downstream through various signaling cascades. The main function of the receptor is to guide immune cells to immune organs (lymph nodes, thymus, spleen) by detecting specific chemokines, which these tissues secrete. The receptor is expressed mostly on adaptive immune cell types, namely thymocytes, naive T and B cells, regulatory T cells, central memory lymphocytes, but also dendritic cells. CCR7 has been shown to stimulate dendritic cell maturation. CCR7 is also involved in homing of T cells to various secondary lymphoid organs such as lymph nodes and the spleen as well as trafficking of T cells within the spleen.
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