SHAAGtide is a peptide derived from stepwise cleavage from CCL23beta, a chemokine product of the alternatively spliced form of the CCL23 gene, by proteases associated with inflammation. The active fragment CCL23beta i24 is also generated by this process, and is a functional ligand for both CCR1 and FPRL1, whereas SHAAGtide, while equipotent with CCL23beta i24 on the FPRL1 receptor, is inactive for CCR1. The presence of SHAAGtide appears to be transient as the proinflammatory proteases subsequently cleave within the peptide, abolishing its activity for FPRL1. SHAAGtide has potent signaling and chemoattractant properties in vitro, and is functional in vivo, recruiting leukocytes, including neutrophils, to mouse skin after intradermal injection.
