Review

Nature Reviews Immunology 5, 521-531 (July 2005) | doi:10.1038/nri1648

Focus on: IMMUNE-CELL COMMUNICATION

New IL-12-family members: IL-23 and IL-27, cytokines with divergent functions

Christopher A. Hunter1  About the author

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Understanding the factors that influence T helper 1 (TH1)- and TH2-cell responses has been one of the main focuses of immunology for almost 20 years. Whereas the central role of interleukin-12 (IL-12) in the generation of TH1 cells has long been appreciated, subsequent studies indicated that IL-23 and IL-27, two cytokines that are closely related to IL-12, also regulate TH1-cell responses. However, as discussed in this article, it is now recognized that the ability of IL-23 to stimulate a unique T-cell subset to produce IL-17 has a dominant role in autoimmune inflammation. By contrast, IL-27 has a role in limiting the intensity and duration of adaptive immune responses.

Author affiliations

  1. Department of Pathobiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 3800 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA.
    Email: chunter@phl.vet.upenn.edu

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