In sickle cell anemia, reticulocytes express enhanced levels of ␣41 integrin that interact mainly with vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 and fibronectin, promoting vaso-occlusion. These interactions are known to be highly sensitive to the inflammatory chemokine IL-8. The Duffy antigen receptor for chemokines (DARC) modulates the function of inflammatory processes. However, the link between ␣41 activation by chemokines and DARC erythroid expression is not or poorly explored. Therefore, the capacity of ␣41 to mediate Duffy-negative and Duffy-positive sickle reticulocyte (SRe) adhesion to immobilized vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 and fibronectin was evaluated. Using static adhesion assays, we found that, under basal conditions, Duffypositive SRe adhesion was 2-fold higher than that of Duffynegative SRes. Incubating the cells with IL-8 or RANTES (regulated on activation normal T cell expressed and secreted) increased Duffy-positive SRe adhesion only, whereas Mn 2؉ increased cell adhesion independently of the Duffy phenotype. Flow cytometry analyses performed with anti-1 and anti-␣4 antibodies, including a conformationsensitive one, in the presence or absence of IL-8, revealed that Duffy-positive and Duffy-negative SRes displayed similar erythroid ␣41 expression levels, but with distinct activation states. IL-8 did not affect ␣41 affinity in Duffy-positive SRes but induced its clustering as corroborated by immunofluorescence microscopy. Our results indicate that in Duffy-negative SRes ␣41 integrin is constitutively expressed in a low affinity state, whereas in Duffy-positive SRes ␣41 is expressed in a higher chemokine-sensitive affinity state. This activation state associated with DARC RBC expression may influence the intensity of the inflammatory responses encountered in sickle cell anemia and participate in its interindividual clinical expression variability.␣41 (CD49d/CD29, VLA4), the only integrin expressed on young SRes, 3 is a multifunctional adhesion protein mediating cell attachment via different ligands, the majors being VCAM-1 and FN (1, 2). In addition to reduced deformability of sickle erythrocytes, increased red cell adhesion to endothelium has been reported (3, 4). This abnormal adhesion may profoundly influence vaso-occlusive crises, by favoring cell contacts with the microvascular and venular endothelium via the ␣41/VCAM-1 and/or the ␣41/FN interactions (2, 5-7). As demonstrated previously, these interactions are highly sensitive to the inflammatory chemokine IL-8 in SCA (6, 7) as in other situations (8). In addition, the implication of IL-8 in the severity of vaso-occlusive episodes has been demonstrated (9). Together, these data suggest the importance of IL-8 in vasoocclusive crises through ␣41 activation (5-7, 9, 10).Red blood cells (RBCs) express the Duffy blood group antigens (Fy) (11) carried by a glycoprotein identified as the Duffy antigen receptor for chemokines (DARC) of both the CC and the CXC classes, including . Four major Duffy phenotypes are serologically identified: Fy ...