| First Author | Li B | Year | 2018 |
| Journal | J Immunol | Volume | 201 |
| Issue | 10 | Pages | 2934-2946 |
| PubMed ID | 30315140 | Mgi Jnum | J:267734 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:6258103 | Doi | 10.4049/jimmunol.1800016 |
| Citation | Li B, et al. (2018) IL-6 Promotes T Cell Proliferation and Expansion under Inflammatory Conditions in Association with Low-Level RORgammat Expression. J Immunol 201(10):2934-2946 |
| abstractText | IL-6 is a critical driver of acute and chronic inflammation and has been reported to act as a T cell survival factor. The influence of IL-6 on T cell homeostasis is not well resolved. We demonstrate that IL-6 signaling drives T cell expansion under inflammatory conditions but not during normal homeostasis. During inflammation, IL-6Ralpha-deficient T cells are unable to effectively compete with wild type T cells. IL-6 promotes T cell proliferation, and this is associated with low-level expression of the RORgammat transcription factor. T cells upregulate Rorc mRNA at levels substantially diminished from that seen in Th17 cells. Blockade of RORgammat through genetic knockout or a small molecule inhibitor leads to T cell expansion defects comparable to those in IL-6Ralpha-deficient T cells. Our results indicate that IL-6 plays a key role in T cell expansion during inflammation and implicates a role for the transient induction of low-level RORgammat. |
