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Role of interleukin‐7 in bone and T‐cell homeostasis
Author(s) -
Lee SunKyeong,
Surh Charles D.
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
immunological reviews
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.839
H-Index - 223
eISSN - 1600-065X
pISSN - 0105-2896
DOI - 10.1111/j.0105-2896.2005.00339.x
Subject(s) - lymphopoiesis , biology , homeostasis , microbiology and biotechnology , interleukin 15 , immunology , cd8 , t cell , interleukin , haematopoiesis , immune system , cytokine , stem cell
Summary: Initially defined as a B‐cell growth factor, the pleiotropic nature of interleukin‐7 (IL‐7) has increasingly become appreciated. Besides its well‐known roles in B‐ and T‐cell lymphopoiesis, IL‐7 is now known to regulate the homeostasis of both mature T cells and bone cells. In bone, the precise nature of how IL‐7 affects osteoclasts and osteoblasts is controversial, since it has a variety of actions in different target cells. These activities are gender‐specific and are dependent on whether IL‐7 is delivered systemically or locally. In mature T cells, IL‐7 is essential for the survival of nearly all subsets. Naïve T cells are also dependent on IL‐7 for survival and homeostatic proliferation in response to lymphopenia. In addition, IL‐7 plays a role in the survival of memory CD8 + cells, and at high concentrations, it can compensate for the absence of IL‐15. The role of IL‐7 on memory CD4 + cells remains controversial and has yet to be firmly established.