Putting the brakes on leukocyte chemotaxis: an interview with Dr. Ramesh K. Ganju

The manuscript, “Slit-2/Robo-1 Modulates the CXCL12/ CXCR4-induced Chemotaxis of T cells” was selected as a Pivotal Advance because it is the first to propose a molecular mechanism via which a Slit /Robo (Roundabout receptor) complex inhibits leukocyte chemotaxis. Specifically, in this manuscript, Dr. Ganju and colleagues demonstrate that the Slit/Robo complex inhibits Akt phosphorylation and Rac activation that result from the interaction of the chemokine SDF-1 (CXCL12) with its seven-transmembrane receptor, CXCR4. The Slit ligands and Robo receptors, originally identified as modulators of neuronal migration, have more recently been characterized as inhibitors of specific chemokine-mediated inflammatory responses [1].