Expression of the inflammatory chemokines CCL2, CCL5 and CXCL2 and the receptors CCR1–3 and CXCR2 in T lymphocytes from mammary tumor-bearing mice

► T lymphocytes from mammary tumor-bearing mice express CCL2, CCL5 and CXCL2. ► Chemokine receptors CCR-1, -2, -3 and CXCR2 are upregulated in T lymphocytes of tumor-bearing mice. ► Both splenic T cells and tumor-infiltrating T lymphocytes express CCL2 and CCL5 as well as CCR1. ► CCL2 induces the expression of CCL2 in an autocrine manner. ► CCL2 induces expression of CCL5 and CXCL2 in a paracrine manner. Chemokines and their receptors have been studied in several solid tumor models as mediators of inflammation. In turn, inflammation has been implicated in the promotion and progression of tumors, and as such, chemokines have been proposed as novel molecular targets for chemotherapy. While the expression of these molecules has been described in tumor cells, endothelial cells, macrophages and neutrophils, less attention has been paid to the expression profile of these molecules by T lymphocytes in the periphery or infiltrating the tumor. Using the D1-DMBA-3 murine mammary adenocarcinoma model, we aimed to better characterize the differential expression of chemokines and/or their receptors in the host and in the tumor microenvironment, and specifically, in the T cells of tumor-bearing mice compared to normal control animals. We found that T lymphocytes from tumor-bearing mice express the pro-inflammatory chemokines, CCL2, CCL5 and CXCL2, as well as the chemokine receptors, CCR1, CCR2, CCR3 and CXCR2.