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50 sources retrieved · Most recent: April 2026 · Index updated 14 days ago
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CCL2
C-C motif chemokine ligand 2
Chromosome 17 · 17q12
NCBI Gene: 6347Ensembl: ENSG00000108691.10HGNC: HGNC:10618UniProt: P13500
1,641PubMed Papers
20Diseases
1Drugs
0Pathogenic Variants
FUNCTIONAL ROLE
Hub Gene
RESEARCH IMPACT
Highly Studied
CLINICAL
Clinical Trials
DATA QUALITY
✓ Experimental GO Evidence✓ Swiss-Prot Reviewed
chemokine-mediated signaling pathwayprotein bindingchemokine activitychemoattractant activityCrohn's diseaseinflammatory bowel diseaseulcerative colitisHIV-1 infection
✦AI Summary

CCL2 (monocyte chemoattractant protein-1/MCP-1) is a CC-motif chemokine that functions primarily as a ligand for CCR2 receptor, mediating immune cell recruitment and inflammatory responses 1. The protein signals through CCR2 binding, inducing strong chemotactic responses and intracellular calcium mobilization, with selective activity for monocytes and macrophages but not neutrophils 2. CCL2 orchestrates monocyte/macrophage infiltration into inflamed tissues and is central to atherosclerosis pathogenesis 3. Beyond cardiovascular disease, elevated CCL2 levels are implicated in cancer progression through recruitment of immunosuppressive tumor-associated macrophages and promotion of metastasis, making the CCL2/CCR2 axis a key driver of pro-tumorigenic inflammation 4. In pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, STAT3/CCL2 signaling suppresses cytotoxic T cell activity and enables immunotherapy resistance 5. CCL2 also contributes to neuropathic pain by regulating dorsal root ganglia neuron excitability 6. Clinically, CCL2 serves as a prognostic marker across multiple pathologies; elevated expression correlates with disease severity in COVID-19 1 and predicts poor outcomes in pituitary tumors through effects on angiogenesis and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition 7. Therapeutic targeting of the CCL2/CCR2 axis shows promise in cancer-inflammation treatment when combined with immunotherapy.

Sources cited
1
CCL2 role in inflammation, monocyte/macrophage recruitment, disease pathogenesis, and as COVID-19 biomarker
PMID: 34233864
2
CCL2 signals through CCR2, induces chemotactic response and intracellular calcium mobilization
PMID: 10587439
3
CCL2-CCR2 axis function in cardiovascular disease development and progression
PMID: 36110847
4
CCL2/CCR2 axis promotes macrophage migration, cancer progression, metastasis, and pro-tumorigenic inflammation
PMID: 38643840
5
STAT3/CCL2 signaling recruits tumor-associated macrophages and suppresses cytotoxic T cell activity in PDAC
PMID: 40166931
6
CCL2 expression regulation in neuropathic pain through dorsal root ganglia neuron excitability
PMID: 35775484
7
CCL2 as prognostic marker in pituitary tumors, regulates angiogenesis and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition
PMID: 40063010
Disease Associationsⓘ20
Crohn's diseaseOpen Targets
0.45Moderate
inflammatory bowel diseaseOpen Targets
0.40Weak
ulcerative colitisOpen Targets
0.38Weak
HIV-1 infectionOpen Targets
0.38Weak
colitisOpen Targets
0.31Weak
B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemiaOpen Targets
0.31Weak
psoriasisOpen Targets
0.30Weak
sclerosing cholangitisOpen Targets
0.30Weak
ankylosing spondylitisOpen Targets
0.29Weak
enteritisOpen Targets
0.29Weak
Abnormality of the skeletal systemOpen Targets
0.29Weak
nervous system benign neoplasmOpen Targets
0.26Weak
cartilage diseaseOpen Targets
0.25Weak
alcohol drinkingOpen Targets
0.23Weak
Hodgkins lymphomaOpen Targets
0.17Weak
benign chondrogenic neoplasmOpen Targets
0.17Weak
placental retentionOpen Targets
0.17Weak
sign or symptomOpen Targets
0.17Weak
sinusitisOpen Targets
0.17Weak
ApneaOpen Targets
0.17Weak
Pathogenic Variants
No pathogenic variants reported on ClinVar for this gene.
View on ClinVar ↗
Drug Targets1
CARLUMABPhase II
C-C motif chemokine 2 inhibitor
pulmonary fibrosis
Related Genes
CCL4L2Protein interaction100%CCL8Protein interaction100%CCL15Protein interaction100%CXCL17Protein interaction100%ACKR1Protein interaction99%JUNProtein interaction98%
Tissue Expression6 tissues
Bone Marrow
100%
Lung
49%
Heart
21%
Liver
20%
Brain
17%
Ovary
4%
Gene Interaction Network
Click a node to explore
CCL2CCL4L2CCL8CCL15CXCL17ACKR1JUN
PROTEIN STRUCTURE
Preparing viewer…
PDB7SO0 · 1.74 Å · X-ray
View on RCSB ↗
Constraintⓘ
LOEUFⓘ
1.84LoF Tolerant
pLIⓘ
0.10Tolerant
Observed/Expected LoF0.86 [0.33–1.84]
RankingsWhere CCL2 stands among ~20K protein-coding genes
  • #73of 20,598
    Most Researched1,641 · top 1%
  • #16,768of 17,882
    Most Constrained (LOEUF)1.84
Genes detectedCCL2
Sources retrieved50 papers
Response time—
📄 Sources
50▼
1
MCP-1: Function, regulation, and involvement in disease.
PMID: 34233864
Int Immunopharmacol · 2021
1.00
2
The role of CCL2/CCR2 axis in cancer and inflammation: The next frontier in nanomedicine.
PMID: 38643840
Adv Drug Deliv Rev · 2024
0.90
3
Targeting TET3 in macrophages provides a concept strategy for the treatment of endometriosis.
PMID: 39484721
J Clin Invest · 2024
0.86
4
CCL2, CCL5, IL4 and IL15 Gene Polymorphisms in Women with Gestational Diabetes Mellitus.
PMID: 27472286
Horm Metab Res · 2017
0.82
5
Relationship Between CXCL11, CXCL13, CCL2, and CCL5 Gene Expression Levels and Allograft Function in Patients Undergoing Renal Transplant.
PMID: 39588992
Exp Clin Transplant · 2024
0.80