title: Expression and function of interleukin-7 in secondary and tertiary lymphoid organs.
abstract: Interleukin-7 (IL-7) is known since many years as stromal-cell derived cytokine that plays a key role for the adaptive immune system. It promotes lymphocyte development in the bone marrow and thymus as well as naive and memory T cell homeostasis in the periphery. More recently, IL-7 reporter mice and other approaches have led to the further characterization of the various stromal cell sources of IL-7 in secondary lymphoid organs (SLO) and other tissues. We will review these advances along with a discussion of the regulation of IL-7 and its receptor, and compare the biological effects IL-7 has on adaptive as well as innate immune cells in SLO. Finally, we will review the role of IL-7 in development of SLO and tertiary lymphoid tissues that frequently are associated with sites of chronic inflammation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, University of Lausanne, Chemin des Boveresses 155, Epalinges, Switzerland. hsin-ying.huang@unil.ch
authors.forename: Hsin-Ying
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Sanjiv A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Luther
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019070:Cell Lineage; D006706:Homeostasis; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000276:immunology; D015851:Interleukin-7 / Q000276:immunology*; D008208:Lymphatic System / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology*; D020395:Receptors, Interleukin-7 / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D015851:Interleukin-7; D020395:Receptors, Interleukin-7