Progress of IL-21 in autoimmune diseases
NIU Xiaoyin
DONG Chen
ZANG Jingwu
Abstract：Interleukin21 (IL-21), a four-α-helical-bundle type I cytokine, is mainly produced by CD4~+T and NKT cells and shows homology to IL-2, IL-4 and IL-15.Its receptor shares the common γ-chain (γc, or CD13) with the receptor complex of other three cy-tokines and binds to a unique IL-21 Rα chain.IL-21R was observed to express on immune cells, like T, B, natural killer, dendritic cells and non-immune cells as well.IL-21 has pleiotropic effects on both innate and adaptive immune responses and plays significant roles in the processes of autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and inflammatory bowel disease, etc.This re-view intends to give the reader an overview of the relationships between IL-21 and the autoimmune diseases.
Keywords：IL-21IL-21RAutoimmune disease
Publication Date：2010-01-01
Online Publishing Date：2025-08-15(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：4( 87-90 )