The modulatory capacity of interleukin-21 in the pathogenesis of autoimmune disease.
In this review, we discuss recent progress from studies on the biology of IL-21 and the role of this cytokine in the pathogenesis of autoimmunity. Recent studies have demonstrated that IL-21 plays an important and non-redundant role in a number of autoimmune animal models indicating that IL-21 could be a common modulator of the adaptive immune response towards self-tissue constituents in diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus, models of rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis and type-1 diabetes. Also, the studies on the production of IL-21 in human autoimmune diseases and its behaviour on human cells in vitro are revealing the potential of IL-21 to exacerbate cellular processes that determine the course of autoimmune diseases.
Department of Immunology, The Garvan Institute of Medical Research, 384 Victoria St., Darlinghurst, NSW 2010, Australia.
Alexis
A
Vogelzang
Cecile
C
King
D000818:Animals; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000188:drug therapy; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy*; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000235:genetics; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D006801:Humans; D007378:Interleukins / Q000235:genetics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000188:drug therapy; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000188:drug therapy; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D000098546:Interleukin-21
D007378:Interleukins; D000098546:Interleukin-21