Identification and molecular characterization of fractalkine receptor CX(3)CR1, which mediates both leukocyte migration and adhesion

Leukocyte trafficking at the endothelium requires both cellular adhesion molecules and chemotactic factors. Fractalkine, a novel transmembrane molecule with a CX3C-motif chemokine domain atop a mucin stalk, induces both adhesion and migration of leukocytes. Here we identify a seven-transmembrane high-affinity receptor for fractalkine and show that it mediates both the adhesive and migratory functions of fractalkine. The receptor, now termed CX(3)CR1, requires pertussis toxin-sensitive G protein signaling to induce migration but not to support adhesion, which also occurs without other adhesion molecules but requires the architecture of a chemokine domain atop the mucin stalk. Natural killer cells predominantly express CX(3)CR1 and respond to fractalkine in both migration and adhesion. Thus, fractalkine and CX(3)CR1 represent new types of leukocyte trafficking regulators, performing both adhesive and chemotactic functions.