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Review
. 2020 Feb 13;217(3):e20192195.
doi: 10.1084/jem.20192195. Print 2020 Mar 2.

The role of IL-22 in intestinal health and disease

Mary Keir  1 , Tangsheng Yi  2 , Timothy Lu  3 , Nico Ghilardi  4
Affiliations
Review

The role of IL-22 in intestinal health and disease

Mary Keir et al. J Exp Med. .

Abstract

The cytokine interleukin-22 (IL-22) is a critical regulator of epithelial homeostasis. It has been implicated in multiple aspects of epithelial barrier function, including regulation of epithelial cell growth and permeability, production of mucus and antimicrobial proteins (AMPs), and complement production. In this review, we focus specifically on the role of IL-22 in the intestinal epithelium. We summarize recent advances in our understanding of how IL-22 regulates homeostasis and host defense, and we discuss the IL-22 pathway as a therapeutic target in diseases of the intestine, including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), and cancer.

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Conflict of interest statement

Disclosures: Dr. Keir reported "other" from Genentech during the conduct of the study; "other" from Genentech outside the submitted work; and is employed by Genentech. All authors are employees of Genentech. No other disclosures were reported.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Role of IL-22 in the intestine during homeostasis. Schematic representation of an epithelial crypt composed of various cell types. Sensing mechanisms that lead to signals that stimulate IL-22 productions are on the left side, and IL-22 effector functions on the different epithelial cell types are on the right side. SAA, serum amyloid A. TA, transit amplifying.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Role of IL-22 in IBD/GVHD and cancer. (A and B) Cell types as in Fig. 1 unless otherwise noted.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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