The chemokine CXCL17 is associated with the innate response in mucosal tissues but is poorly characterized. Similarly, the G protein-coupled receptor GPR35, expressed by monocytes and mast cells has been implicated in the immune response, although its precise role is ill-defined. A recent manuscript reported that GPR35 was able to signal in response to CXCL17, which we set out to confirm in this study. GPR35 was readily expressed using transfection systems, but failed to signal in response to CXCL17 in assays of β-arrestin recruitment, inositol phosphate production, calcium flux and receptor endocytosis. Similarly, in chemotaxis assays, GPR35 did not confirm sensitivity to a range of CXCL17 concentrations above that observed in the parental cell line. We subsequently employed a real time chemotaxis assay (TAXIScan) to investigate the migratory responses of human monocytes and the monocytic cell line, THP-1 to a gradient of CXCL17. Freshly isolated human monocytes displayed no obvious migration to CXCL17. Resting THP-1 cells showed a trend towards directional migration along a CXCL17 gradient, which was significantly enhanced by overnight incubation with the prostaglandin PGE2. However, pretreatment of PGE2-treated THP-1 cells with the well characterized GPR35 antagonist ML145 did not significantly impair their migratory responses to CXCL17 gradient. CXCL17 was susceptible to cleavage with chymase although this had little effect its ability to recruit THP-1 cells.
We therefore conclude that GPR35 is unlikely to be a bona fide receptor for CXCL17 and that THP-1 cells express an as yet unidentified receptor for CXCL17.