Journal
JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY
Volume 182, Issue 4, Pages 1781-1787Publisher
AMER ASSOC IMMUNOLOGISTS
DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.0803009
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Funding
- National Cancer Institute of Canada
- Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) [9862]
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IL-21 is a type I cytokine that shares the common receptor gamma-chain with IL-2, IL-4, IL-7, IL-9, and IL-15. B cells are one of the lymphoid cell types whose development and function are regulated by IL-21. Depending on the interplay with costimulatory signals and on the developmental stage of a B cell, IL-21 can induce proliferation, differentiation into Ig-producing plasma cells, or apoptosis in both mice and humans. Alone and in combination with Th cell-derived cytokines IL-21 can regulate class switch recombination to IgG, IgA, or IgE isotypes, indicating its important role in shaping the effector function of B cells. This review highlights the role of IL-21 in B cell development, function, and disease and provides some perspectives on the future studies in this area. The Journal of Immunology, 2009, 182: 1781-1787.
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