New IL-12-family members: IL-23 and IL-27, cytokines with divergent functions.
Understanding the factors that influence T helper 1 (T(H)1)- and T(H)2-cell responses has been one of the main focuses of immunology for almost 20 years. Whereas the central role of interleukin-12 (IL-12) in the generation of T(H)1 cells has long been appreciated, subsequent studies indicated that IL-23 and IL-27, two cytokines that are closely related to IL-12, also regulate T(H)1-cell responses. However, as discussed in this article, it is now recognized that the ability of IL-23 to stimulate a unique T-cell subset to produce IL-17 has a dominant role in autoimmune inflammation. By contrast, IL-27 has a role in limiting the intensity and duration of adaptive immune responses.
Department of Pathobiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 3800 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA. chunter@phl.vet.upenn.edu
Christopher A
CA
Hunter
D000818:Animals; D016207:Cytokines / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000276:immunology*; D018664:Interleukin-12 / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics; D053759:Interleukin-23; D053760:Interleukin-23 Subunit p19; D007378:Interleukins / Q000145:classification / Q000502:physiology*; D051379:Mice; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D018417:Th1 Cells / Q000276:immunology*
D016207:Cytokines; C508840:IL23A protein, human; C508841:Il23a protein, mouse; C486767:Il27 protein, mouse; D053759:Interleukin-23; D053760:Interleukin-23 Subunit p19; D007378:Interleukins; D018664:Interleukin-12