title: IL-9 signaling as key driver of chronic inflammation in mucosal immunity.
abstract: Recent studies have highlighted a crucial regulatory role of the cytokine IL-9 in driving immune responses in chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases at mucosal surfaces. IL-9 activates various types of immune and non-immune cells carrying the membrane bound IL-9R. IL-9 signaling plays a pivotal role in controlling the differentiation and activation of these cells by inducing the Jak/STAT pathway. In particular, IL-9 induces activation of T helper cells and affects the function of various tissue resident cells such as mast cells and epithelial cells in the mucosa. Importantly, recent findings suggest that blockade of IL-9 signaling is effective in treating experimental models of autoimmune and chronic inflammatory diseases such as inflammatory bowel diseases, allergic disorders such as food allergy and asthma. Thus, blockade of IL-9 and IL-9R signaling emerges as potentially novel approach for therapy of inflammatory diseases in the mucosal immune system.
authors.affiliation: 1st Department of Medicine, Friedrich-Alexander University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, D-91054 Erlangen, Germany. Electronic address: markus.neurath@uk-erlangen.de.
authors.forename: Markus F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Neurath
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Pulmonology, Friedrich-Alexander University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, D-91054 Erlangen, Germany.
authors.forename: Susetta
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Finotto
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001249:Asthma / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005512:Food Hypersensitivity / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D018928:Immunity, Mucosal; D007249:Inflammation / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D016906:Interleukin-9 / Q000276:immunology*; D053612:Janus Kinases / Q000276:immunology; D053651:Receptors, Interleukin-9 / Q000276:immunology*; D050791:STAT Transcription Factors / Q000276:immunology; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: C508607:IL9 protein, human; C508045:IL9R protein, human; D016906:Interleukin-9; D053651:Receptors, Interleukin-9; D050791:STAT Transcription Factors; D053612:Janus Kinases
keywords: Asthma; Cytokines; Epithelial cells; Food allergy; IL-9; Inflammatory bowel disease; Mast cells; T cell differentiation; T cells