CXCL16 and eosinophilic esophagitis: This possibility is supported by the data that iNKT cell-expressed CXCR6 specifically binds to the chemokine CXCL16 and attracts iNKT cells to the tissue.40, 49, 50 Here, the data demonstrate that the mRNA and protein expression of CXCR6 and its ligand CXCL16 are increased in human EoE as compared with the low baseline expression in normal individuals.