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Isolation and Th17 Differentiation of Naïve CD4 T Lymphocytes
Published on: September 26, 2013
Role of IL-23 and Th17 Cells in Airway Inflammation in Asthma
Hiroshi Nakajima1, Koichi Hirose
1Department of Molecular Genetics, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan.
Abstract:
Asthma is characterized by chronic airway inflammation with intense eosinophil and lymphocyte infiltration, mucus hyperproduction, and airway hyperresponsiveness. Accumulating evidence indicates that antigen-specific Th2 cells and their cytokines such as IL-4, IL-5, and IL-13 orchestrate these pathognomonic features of asthma. In addition, we and others have recently shown that IL-17-producing CD4(+) T cells (Th17 cells) and IL-23, an IL-12-related cytokine that is essential for survival and functional maturation of Th17 cells, are involved in antigen-induced airway inflammation. In this review, our current understanding of the roles of IL-23 and Th17 cells in the pathogenesis of allergic airway inflammation will be summarized.
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