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The many lives of IL-9: a question of survival?

Nature Immunology volume 13, pages 637–641 (2012)Cite this article

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Abstract

Although the cytokine interleukin 9 (IL-9) was discovered decades ago, it remains one of the most enigmatic cytokines identified so far, in particular because its functional activities remain far from clear. Breakthroughs made through the use of IL-9 reporter mice have allowed the identification of cell types that produce IL-9 in vivo and, contrary to expectations based on previous results obtained in vitro, it is not T cells but instead a previously unknown type of innate lymphoid cell, called the 'ILC2 cell', that is the main cell type that expresses IL-9 in vivo. In this perspective, we put forward a hypothesis about the potential biological functions of IL-9 in the immune system and beyond.

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Figure 1: Regulation of IL-9 production in T cells and ILCs.
Figure 2: Hypothetical model for the function of IL-9 in the regulation of ILC2 cells.

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Author notes

  1. Christoph Wilhelm

    Present address: Present address: Mucosal Immunology Section, Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.,

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Molecular Immunology, Medical Research Council National Institute for Medical Research, London, UK

    Christoph Wilhelm, Jan-Eric Turner & Brigitta Stockinger

  2. Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Brussels Branch, and Cellular Genetics, Experimental Medicine Units, Christian de Duve Institute of Cellular Pathology, Université de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium

    Jacques Van Snick

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Correspondence to Brigitta Stockinger.

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Wilhelm, C., Turner, JE., Van Snick, J. et al. The many lives of IL-9: a question of survival?. Nat Immunol 13, 637–641 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/ni.2303

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