| First Author | Datta S | Year | 2008 |
| Journal | PLoS One | Volume | 3 |
| Issue | 9 | Pages | e3118 |
| PubMed ID | 18773086 | Mgi Jnum | J:143945 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:3829519 | Doi | 10.1371/journal.pone.0003118 |
| Citation | Datta S, et al. (2008) IL-21 limits peripheral lymphocyte numbers through T cell homeostatic mechanisms. PLoS One 3(9):e3118 |
| abstractText | BACKGROUND: IL-21, a member of the common gamma-chain utilizing family of cytokines, participates in immune and inflammatory processes. In addition, the cytokine has been linked to autoimmunity in humans and rodents. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: To investigate the mechanism whereby IL-21 affects the immune system, we investigated its role in T cell homeostasis and autoimmunity in both non-autoimmune C57BL/6 and autoimmune NOD mice. Our data indicate that IL-21R knockout C57BL/6 and NOD mice show increased size of their lymphocyte population and decreased homeostatic proliferation. In addition, our experimental results demonstrate that IL-21 inhibits T cell survival. These data suggest that IL-21 acts to limit the size of the T cell pool. Furthermore, our data suggest IL-21 may contribute to the development of autoimmunity. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Taken together, our results suggest that IL-21 plays a global role in regulating T cell homeostasis, promoting the continuous adaptation of the T cell lymphoid space. |
