Interleukin-7: master regulator of peripheral T-cell homeostasis?

Recent evidence has implicated interleukin-7 (IL-7) as a master regulator of T-cell homeostasis, based upon its essential role in the homeostatic expansion of naive T-cell populations in response to low-affinity antigens (Ags) and its capacity to enhance dramatically the expansion of peripheral T-ce...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Trends in Immunology 2001-10, Vol.22 (10), p.564-571
Main Authors: Fry, Terry J., Mackall, Crystal L.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Homeostasis - immunology
Humans
immune reconstitution
immunodeficiency
interleukin-7
Interleukin-7 - immunology
Lymphocyte Count
Lymphocyte Depletion
Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell - immunology
T cell homeostasis
T-Lymphocytes - cytology
T-Lymphocytes - immunology
thymus
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Summary:Recent evidence has implicated interleukin-7 (IL-7) as a master regulator of T-cell homeostasis, based upon its essential role in the homeostatic expansion of naive T-cell populations in response to low-affinity antigens (Ags) and its capacity to enhance dramatically the expansion of peripheral T-cell populations in response to high-affinity Ags. Furthermore, T-cell-depleted humans have a unique inverse relationship between the peripheral CD4 + T-cell count and the level of circulating IL-7. Together, these data suggest that increased amounts of IL-7 become available following T-cell depletion, thus, enhancing the high- and low-affinity Ag-driven expansion of the population of residual, mature T cells and boosting thymic regenerative capacity, as a means to restore T-cell homeostasis.
ISSN:1471-4906
1471-4981
DOI:10.1016/S1471-4906(01)02028-2