IL-17/Th17 Promotes Type 1 T Cell Immunity against Pulmonary Intracellular Bacterial Infection through Modulating Dendritic Cell Function (original) (raw)

2009, The Journal of Immunology

Although their contribution to host defense against extracellular infections has been well defined, IL-17 and Th17 are generally thought to have limited impact on intracellular infections. In this study, we investigated the role and mechanisms of IL-17/Th17 in host defense against Chlamydia muridarum, an obligate intracellular bacterium, lung infection. Our data showed rapid increase in IL-17 production and expansion of Th17 cells following C. muridarum infection and significant detrimental impact of in vivo IL-17 neutralization by anti-IL-17 mAb on disease course, immune response, and dendritic cell (DC) function. Specifically, IL-17-neutralized mice exhibited significantly greater body weight loss, higher organism growth, and much more severe pathological changes in the lung compared with sham-treated control mice. Immunological analysis showed that IL-17 neutralization significantly reduced Chlamydia-specific Th1 responses, but increased Th2 responses. Interestingly, the DC isola...

Sign up for access to the world's latest research.

checkGet notified about relevant papers

checkSave papers to use in your research

checkJoin the discussion with peers

checkTrack your impact