T helper 17 (Th17) cells specifically transcribe the Il17 and Il17f genes, which are localized in the same chromosome region, but the underlying mechanism is unclear. Here, we report a cis element that we previously named conserved noncoding sequence 2 (CNS2) physically interacted with both Il17 and Il17f gene promoters and was sufficient for regulating their selective transcription in Th17 cel...

BACKGROUND Statins are widely used to treat hyperlipidaemia. Their immunosuppressive effect has recently been confirmed in various immune mediated disease models. However, relatively few studies have been conducted on allergic inflammation, so the precise mechanisms of their actions against allergies have not been fully clarified. On the other hand, the role of interleukin (IL)17 in immune resp...

UNLABELLED Many epithelial cancers are associated with chronic inflammation. However, the features of inflammation that are procarcinogenic are not fully understood. Regulatory T cells (Treg) typically restrain overt inflammatory responses and maintain intestinal immune homeostasis. Their immune-suppressive activity can inhibit inflammation-associated cancers. Paradoxically, we show that coloni...

Despite advanced immunosuppression, redundancy in the molecular diversity of acute rejection (AR) often results in incomplete resolution of the injury response. We present a bioinformatics based approach for identification of these redundant molecular pathways in AR and a drug repositioning approach to suppress these using FDA approved drugs currently available for non-transplant indications. T...

Chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CPPS) is the most common form of prostatitis, accounting for 90-95% of all diagnoses. It is a complex multi-symptom syndrome with unknown etiology and limited effective treatments. Previous investigations highlight roles for inflammatory mediators in disease progression by correlating levels of cytokines and chemokines with patient reported symptom scores. It is hy...

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a common yet complex retinal degeneration that causes irreversible central blindness in the elderly. Pathology is widely believed to follow loss of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and photoreceptor degeneration. Here we report aberrant expression of interleukin-17A (IL17A) and the receptor IL17RC in the macula of AMD patients. In vitro, IL17A induces R...

Patients with P. aeruginosa airways infection show markedly variable clinical phenotypes likely influenced by genetic backgrounds. Here, we investigated the cellular events involved in resistance and susceptibility to P. aeruginosa chronic infection using genetically distinct inbred mouse strains. As for patients, different murine genotypes revealed variable susceptibility to infection. When di...

IL17-producing (Th17) cells are a distinct lineage of T helper cells that regulate immunity and inflammation. The role of antigen-presenting cells in the induction of Th17 cells in humans remains to be fully defined. Here, we show that human dendritic cells (DCs) are efficient inducers of Th17 cells in culture, including antigen-specific Th17 cells. Although most freshly isolated circulating hu...

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...