title: Regulation and biological function of helminth-induced cytokine responses.
abstract: The immunological hallmarks of infection with parasitic helminths, namely eosinophilia, mastocytosis and increased IgE synthesis, all appear to be induced by cytokines from the TH2 subset of CD4+ T cells: IgE production is stimulated by interleukin 4 (IL-4), eosinophilia by IL-5 and mastocytosis by IL-3 and IL-4. Here, Fred Finkelman and colleagues argue that the functional significance of the eosinophilia-mastocytosis-IgE axis in helminth infection is unclear and suggest that in some worm infections TH2-cell cytokines may contribute to host protection, while in others they may promote parasite survival.
authors.affiliation: Dept of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD 20889.
authors.forename: F D
authors.initials: FD
authors.lastname: Finkelman
authors.forename: E J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Pearce
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Urban
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sher
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005075:Biological Evolution; D016207:Cytokines / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D004802:Eosinophilia / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D004804:Eosinophils / Q000276:immunology; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006373:Helminthiasis / Q000276:immunology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000276:immunology; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000502:physiology; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000502:physiology; D008407:Mast Cells / Q000276:immunology; D051379:Mice; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D006377:T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D007376:Interleukin-2; D007073:Immunoglobulin E; D007371:Interferon-gamma