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Diversification of T-helper-cell lineages: finding the family root of IL-17-producing cells

Nature Reviews Immunology volume 6, pages 329–334 (2006)Cite this article

Abstract

CD4+ T helper 1 (TH1) and TH2 cells have long been regarded as two sides of a coin in terms of adaptive immune responses. However, as I discuss here, this concept needs to be reconsidered. In particular, recent data indicate that interleukin-17 (IL-17) is produced by TH cells that are distinct from the traditional TH1- and TH2-cell subsets. Furthermore, the generation of these IL-17-producing CD4+ T cells from naive precursors during immune responses is not dependent on the cytokines and transcription factors that mediate TH1- and TH2-cell development. Given that IL-17 has crucial roles in regulating tissue inflammation and the development of disease in several animal models of autoimmunity, I propose that IL-17-producing CD4+ T cells represent a distinct inflammatory TH-cell lineage.

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Figure 1: An overview of T-helper-1 and T-helper-2-cell-differentiation programmes.
Figure 2: A revised T-helper-cell-differentiation model.

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Acknowledgements

I thank many colleagues for their scientific contribution to the development of the concept described in this article and supports from the National Institutes fof Health, USA, the Arthritis Foundation, USA, the Cancer Research Institute, USA, and the MD Anderson Cancer Center, USA.

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  1. the Department of Immunology, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, 77030, Texas, USA

    Chen Dong

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Dong, C. Diversification of T-helper-cell lineages: finding the family root of IL-17-producing cells. Nat Rev Immunol 6, 329–334 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1038/nri1807

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