IL-6: a cytokine at the crossroads of autoimmunity
BE Jones, MD Maerz, JH Buckner - Current opinion in immunology, 2018 - Elsevier
BE Jones, MD Maerz, JH Buckner
Current opinion in immunology, 2018•ElsevierHighlights•IL-6 promotes development of Th17 and Tfh cells and suppresses induction of
Treg.•IL-6 signals via three distinct mechanisms: classical, trans signaling and cluster
signaling.•IL-6/IL-6R axis is dysregulated in autoimmunity.•Targeting the IL-6 pathway has
proven to be therapeutic in autoimmunity.IL-6 is implicated in the development and
progression of autoimmune diseases in part by influencing CD4 T cell lineage and
regulation. Elevated IL-6 levels drive inflammation in a wide range of autoimmune diseases …
Treg.•IL-6 signals via three distinct mechanisms: classical, trans signaling and cluster
signaling.•IL-6/IL-6R axis is dysregulated in autoimmunity.•Targeting the IL-6 pathway has
proven to be therapeutic in autoimmunity.IL-6 is implicated in the development and
progression of autoimmune diseases in part by influencing CD4 T cell lineage and
regulation. Elevated IL-6 levels drive inflammation in a wide range of autoimmune diseases …
Highlights
- IL-6 promotes development of Th17 and Tfh cells and suppresses induction of Treg.
- IL-6 signals via three distinct mechanisms: classical, trans signaling and cluster signaling.
- IL-6/IL-6R axis is dysregulated in autoimmunity.
- Targeting the IL-6 pathway has proven to be therapeutic in autoimmunity.
IL-6 is implicated in the development and progression of autoimmune diseases in part by influencing CD4 T cell lineage and regulation. Elevated IL-6 levels drive inflammation in a wide range of autoimmune diseases, some of which are also characterized by enhanced T cell responses to IL-6. Notably, the impact of IL-6 on inflammation is contextual in nature and dependent on the cell type, cytokine milieu and tissue. Targeting the IL-6/IL-6R axis in humans has been shown to successfully ameliorate a subset of autoimmune conditions. In this review, we discuss recent studies investigating how IL-6 regulates the CD4 T cell response in the context of autoimmune disease and highlight how blocking different aspects of the IL-6 pathway is advantageous in the treatment of disease.
Elsevier