title: Interleukin-27: balancing protective and pathological immunity.
abstract: It has been more than 15 years since the identification of individual interleukin-27 (IL-27) and IL-27 receptor components. The last decade has seen the description of the signaling pathways engaged by IL-27, and an appreciation has emerged that this cytokine can modulate the intensity and duration of many classes of T cell responses. Here we provide an overview of the immunobiology of IL-27 and review advances in understanding the functions of individual IL-27 and IL-27 receptor subunits and the role of IL-27 in dictating the balance between protective and pathological immunity. Additionally, this cytokine has been proposed as a therapy to modify inflammatory conditions or to promote antitumor responses, and situations where experimental and clinical data sets implicate IL-27 in the outcome of disease are highlighted.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathobiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 380 South University Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19104-4539, USA. chunter@vet.upenn.edu.
authors.forename: Christopher A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Hunter
authors.forename: Rob
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kastelein
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D060890:B7-H1 Antigen / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D003141:Communicable Diseases / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D016753:Interleukin-10 / Q000378:metabolism; D020381:Interleukin-17 / Q000378:metabolism*; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D018123:Receptors, Interleukin / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D060890:B7-H1 Antigen; D020381:Interleukin-17; D018123:Receptors, Interleukin; D016753:Interleukin-10