A lymphocyte-specific CC chemokine, secondary lymphoid tissue chemokine (SLC), is a highly efficient chemoattractant for B cells and activated T cells.

Secondary lymphoid tissue chemokine (SLC) is a CC chemokine expressed mainly in lymph nodes, appendix and spleen, and specifically chemotactic for lymphocytes (Nagira et al., J. Biol. Chem. 1997. 272: 19518-19524). Here, we carried out transendothelial migration assays to determine the classes and subsets of lymphocytes migrating toward SLC. SLC attracted freshly isolated B cells with high efficiency and T cells modestly. Thus, SLC is the first CC chemokine with a strong chemotactic activity on fresh B cells. Among T cell types and subsets, SLC broadly attracted CD4+ and CD8+ cells, CD45RO- (naive) and CD45RO+ (memory) cells, and CD26high (activated) and CD26low- (resting) cells. SLC also attracted both L-selectin+ and L-selectin- subpopulations of various T cell subsets and B cells. Furthermore, mitogenic stimulation strongly enhanced migratory responses of T cells and B cells toward SLC. By in situ hybridization, SLC mRNA was detected in the cortical parafollicular regions (the T cell areas) of a lymph node and an appendix. Collectively, SLC may be a basic chemokine supporting homeostatic migration of a broad spectrum of lymphocytes into the secondary lymphoid tissues. SLC may also be involved in immune responses by inducing highly efficient migration of T and B cells following antigenic stimulation.