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TH1 cells control themselves by producing interleukin-10

Abstract

Inflammatory T helper 1 (TH1)-cell responses successfully eradicate pathogens, but often also cause immunopathology. To minimize this deleterious side-effect the anti-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-10 (IL-10) is produced. Although IL-10 was originally isolated from TH2 cells it is now known to be produced by many cell types. Here, we discuss the recent evidence that shows that TH1 cells are the main source of IL-10 that controls the immune response against Leishmania major and Toxoplasma gondii infection.

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Figure 1: The production of IL-10 during immune responses.

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Acknowledgements

We acknowledge M. Saraiva for comments on the manuscript. A.O.G. is funded by the Medical Research Council, UK.

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Correspondence to Anne O'Garra.

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O'Garra, A., Vieira, P. TH1 cells control themselves by producing interleukin-10. Nat Rev Immunol 7, 425–428 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1038/nri2097

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