Chemokines and their receptors have gained importance since their roles have been broadened from inducible functions, such as leukocyte activation and migration, to include constitutive functions in hematopoiesis and development.Nevertheless, Chemokines are now best known world-wide for their role in HIV-1 pathogenesis.

A great deal of effort has been placed in the discovery and design of molecules able to block HIV-1 infection. As a consequence chemokines and its receptors have become one of the major targets for these molecules. Although much information has been obtained regarding the structural interaction between viral proteins or chemokines with target chemokine receptors, little is known about the mechanism triggered by such interaction. Knowledge on these events will greatly aid in the design of more useful molecules for the treatment and prevention not only of AIDS, but also of those pathologies where  chemokines play a pivotal role, such as asthma, tumour rejection, arthritis, etc.

This review will focus on some recent findings regarding chemokine signaling and their possible use as the base for developing novel HIV-1 blocking agents.