1. A small signaling protein secreted by cells that attracts and activates immune cells, especially white blood cells, to sites of infection or inflammation.
Usage: technical; biology/medicine

Examples

• Chemokines are released by infected cells to recruit immune cells to the site of infection.
• The immune system uses chemokines as chemical signals to guide white blood cells to areas of inflammation.
• Researchers are studying how chemokines influence the migration of T cells during an immune response.
• Certain chemokines bind to specific receptors on the surface of immune cells.
• The body produces different types of chemokines depending on the nature of the threat.