Chemokines are small proteins that direct the movement of white blood cells to sites of injury or infection. They are classified based on structural characteristics like the positioning of conserved cysteine residues. The four main classes are CC, CXC, C, and CX3C chemokines. Chemokines bind to G protein-coupled receptors on cells and signal through G proteins and secondary messengers to induce cell migration. Chemokines play roles in processes like inflammation, immunity, and cancer and are implicated in diseases like HIV, arthritis, and transplant rejection.