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Mutagenesis Studies of Interleukin-8

Interleukin-8 (IL-8) is a dimeric, C-X-C chemokine, produced by a variety of cells and which elicits pro-inflammatory responses from the neutrophil. As a prelude to drug design, we have investigated the interactions between IL-8 and its receptor by preparing a number of single-site mutants of IL-8 and determining their activity in receptor-binding and functional assays. In order to define the binding surface as precisely as possible, we have used chemical shifts obtained from nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy to screen mutant proteins for structural changes which affect regions of the IL-8 surface remote from the site of mutation. In addition to a previously recognized sequence, Glu4-Leu5-Arg6 in the N-terminal peptide, we have identified a second epitope comprising a contiguous group of non-sequential, solvent-exposed, hydrophobic residues, Phe, Phe, Ile, and Leu. These two receptor-binding regions are separated by over 20 Å in the IL-8 structure and are important both for receptor binding and function. In addition, we have shown through the production of a covalently linked IL-8 dimer, that subunit dissociation is not necessary for biological activity.