Patients treated with the immunosuppressive drug tacrolimus (FK506), which binds FK506 binding protein 12 (FKBP12) and then inhibits the calcium-dependent phosphatase calcineurin, exhibit decreased regulatory T cells, endothelial dysfunction, and hypertension; however, the mechanisms and whether altered T-cell polarization play a role are unknown. Tacrolimus treatment of mice for 1 week dose-de...

PURPOSE T-helper 17 lymphocytes (Th17) were identified in the healthy conjunctiva and in patients with ocular cicatricial pemphigoid (OCP), a disease characterized by chronic ocular surface inflammation. METHODS Conjunctival biopsies and blood samples were obtained from 10 patients with OCP (4 males, 6 females; 57-90 years of age) and 6 age/sex matched healthy subjects. Conjunctival samples w...

Many autoimmune diseases are driven by self-reactive T helper (Th) cells. A new population of effector CD4(+) T cells characterized by the secretion of interleukin (IL)-17, referred to as Th17 cells, has been demonstrated to be phenotypically, functionally, and developmentally distinct from Th1 and Th2 cells. Because the liver is known to be an important source of transforming growth factor- β ...

The third lineage of T helper subsets, Th17, has recently been identified as an IL- 17-producing CD4+ Th cell, and its functions and regulatory mechanisms have been extensively characterized in immune responses. Functional studies have provided evidence that Th17 cells are important for the modulation of autoimmune responses, such as chronic asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel dise...

CD28/T cell receptor ligation activates the NF-κB signaling cascade during CD4 T cell activation. NF-κB activation is required for cytokine gene expression and activated T cell survival and proliferation. Recently, many reports showed that NF-κB activation is also involved in T helper (Th) cell differentiation including Th17 cell differentiation. In this review, we discuss the current literatur...

BACKGROUND While a central role for the T helper (Th) 1/Th2 axis in food allergy has been established, the Th17 response in food-allergic humans has not been addressed. METHODS Th17 responses in 18 peanut-allergic children, who were also allergic to at least one additional food allergen, were assessed relative to 15 age-matched healthy controls. To account for the atopy background in the alle...

Primary Sjögren's syndrome is an autoimmune disease characterized by diffuse infiltration of lymphocytes into exocrine glands and other tissues. The infiltrating lymphocytes have been identified as subsets of B cells and T cells, including T helper 17 cells, T regulatory cells and follicular helper T cells. The role of these cells in the development of the syndrome is now known, as is their imp...

Interleukin-17 (IL-17)-producing T helper cells (Th17 cells) constitute a lineage of CD4 effector T helper cells that is distinct from the Th1 and Th2 CD4 phenotypes. In humans, Th17 differentiation is induced in the presence of the cytokines IL-1 beta, IL-6 and TGF beta, whereas IL-23 maintains Th17 survival. Effector human Th17 cells express several cytokines and cell surface markers, includi...