IL-2 and IL-21 are closely related cytokines that might have arisen by gene duplication. Both cytokines promote the function of effector CD8(+) T cells, but their distinct effects on antigen-driven differentiation of naive CD8(+) T cells into effector CD8(+) T cells are not clearly understood. We found that antigen-induced expression of Eomesodermin (Eomes) and maturation of naive CD8(+) T cell...

IL-2 and IL-21 are two cytokines with great potential to affect autoimmune infiltration of nonlymphoid tissue, and are contained within the strongest non-MHC-linked locus for type 1 diabetes (T1D) susceptibility on the nonobese diabetic (NOD) mouse (Idd3). IL-21 is necessary for the development of diabetes in the NOD mouse, but a number of important studies argue that decreased expression of IL...

The cytokine IL-21 has been shown to influence immune responses through both costimulatory effects on effector T cells and opposing inhibitory effects on T regulatory cells (Tregs). To distinguish the effect of IL-21 on the immune system from that of its effect on Tregs, we analyzed the role of IL-21/IL-21R signaling in mice made genetically deficient in IL-2, which exhibit a deficit in IL-2-de...

Interleukin-21 (IL-21) plays an important role in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The aim of our study was to assess serum levels of IL-21 in patients with recent-onset RA in relation to disease activity and response to treatment. We analyzed serum levels of IL-21 in 51 RA patients, both before and 12 weeks after the initiation of treatment and in 36 healthy individuals. Disease ...

Helicobacter pylori (Hp) infection is associated with gastric inflammation and ulceration. The pathways of tissue damage in Hp-infected subjects are complex, but evidence indicates that T cell-derived cytokines enhance the synthesis of matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) that contribute to mucosal ulceration and epithelial damage. In this study, we have examined the role of the T cell cytokine IL-2...

During T cell-dependent responses, B cells can either differentiate extrafollicularly into short-lived plasma cells or enter follicles to form germinal centers (GCs). Interactions with T follicular helper (Tfh) cells are required for GC formation and for selection of somatically mutated GC B cells. Interleukin (IL)-21 has been reported to play a role in Tfh cell formation and in B cell growth, ...