IL-21 and autoimmune disease--hypothesis and reality?
Previous data have indicated that IL-21 and/or IL-21R are crucial for the differentiation of naïve T cells into Th17 cells and also play a key role in the development of autoimmune disease. Given this, IL-21 and/or IL-21R are potential targets for therapy of such diseases; however, a study in this issue of the European Journal of Immunology, provides a new twist in the story as it is now shown that IL-21 and/or IL-21R play no role in Th17 development or autoimmune inflammatory disease. The reasons for these contradictory data are discussed in this Commentary.
Holmdahl
Rikard
R
Medical Inflammation Research, BMC I11, Lund University, Lund, Sweden. Rikard.Holmdahl@ki.se
D000818:Animals; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D016207:Cytokines / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007378:Interleukins / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D053655:Receptors, Interleukin-21 / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D006377:T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D000098546:Interleukin-21
D016207:Cytokines; D007378:Interleukins; D053655:Receptors, Interleukin-21; D000098546:Interleukin-21