IL-17/Th17 in anti-fungal immunity: What's new?

July 3, 2010

Viewpoints on Th17/IL-17

IL-17/Th17 in anti-fungal immunity: What's new?

Zelante, Antonella De Luca, Carmen D' Angelo, Silvia Moretti, Luigina

Romani *

Microbiology Section, Department of Experimental Medicine and Biochemical

Sciences, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy

email: Luigina Romani (lromani@...)

*Correspondence to Luigina Romani, Microbiology Section, Department of

Experimental Medicine and Biochemical Sciences, University of Perugia, Via del

Giochetto, 06122 Perugia, Italy Fax: +39-075-585-7411

Funded by:

Specific Targeted Research Project MANASP (LSHE-CT-2006); Grant Number: 037899

(FP6)

Italian project PRIN prot.; Grant Number: 2007KLCKP8_004

Keywords

Fungal infections • IL-17 • IL-22 • Protective tolerance • Th17

Abstract

How the immune system tailors protective responses to suit the infectious

challenge while limiting damage to the host is an emerging theme in T-cell

biology. Although many studies have focused on the pathological aspects of

IL-17-producing T cells in many autoimmune diseases, their role in protective

anti-microbial immunity has also been increasingly recognized. This increased

recognition also applies to their role in anti-fungal immunity; however, the

role of IL-17-producing T cells in protection versus pathology in fungal

infections is still controversial. Although both positive and negative effects

on immune resistance have been attributed to the IL-23/Th17 axis in experimental

models of fungal infections, defective Th17 cell differentiation has been linked

to recurrent pneumonia by filamentous fungi and the occurrence of mucocutaneous

candidiasis in patients with primary immunodeficiencies. Here we discuss how

recent findings in experimental candidiasis and aspergillosis shed new lights on

the contribution of Th17 cells to resistance and pathology to fungi.

**Article goes on at:

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