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Th22 in inflammatory and autoimmune disease: prospects for therapeutic intervention

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Abstract

T helper cell 22 (Th22) is a new subset of T cells clearly separate from Th17 and other known T cell subsets with distinct gene expression and function. With the CCR6 + CCR4 + CCR10 + phenotype and aryl hydrocarbon receptor as the key transcription factor, Th22 subsets produce cytokines such as IL-22, whose function depends on the activation of signal transduction and activators of transcription 3. IL-22 was up-regulated in Rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease, Psoriasis, and atopic dermatitis patients whereas it was down-regulated in the serum of patients with sarcoidosis and systemic lupus erythematosus. Furthermore, it has been demonstrated that IL-22 may have promise as a potential therapeutic for chronic inflammatory diseases, and treatment with recombinant cytokine or gene therapy delivery of IL-22 may alleviate tissue destruction during inflammatory responses. In summary, Th22 cell plays an important and complicated role in inflammatory and autoimmune disease.

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Acknowledgments

The study was supported by grants from the key program of National Natural Science Foundation of China (30830089).

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  1. Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, 81 Meishan Road, Hefei, Anhui, 230032, People’s Republic of China

    Ning Zhang, Hai-Feng Pan & Dong-Qing Ye

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  1. Ning Zhang
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Correspondence to Dong-Qing Ye.

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Zhang, N., Pan, HF. & Ye, DQ. Th22 in inflammatory and autoimmune disease: prospects for therapeutic intervention. Mol Cell Biochem 353, 41–46 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11010-011-0772-y

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