IL-21 promotes allergic airway inflammation by driving apoptosis of FoxP3(+) regulatory T cells

摘要

Background: IL-21 is a key player of adaptive immunity, with well-established roles in B-cell and cytotoxic T-cell responses. IL-21 has been implicated in promotion of effector CD4(+) T cells and inhibition of forkhead box P3-positive regulatory T (Treg) cells, but the mechanism and functional relevance of these findings remain controversial.