"Reciprocal developmental pathways for the generation of pathogenic
effector TH17 and regulatory T cells,"
by Estelle Bettelli
and 7 others, Nature, 441(7090): 235-8, 11 May 2006.
[Authors' affiliations: Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical
School, Boston, MA]
Abstract: "On activation, T cells undergo distinct
developmental pathways, attaining specialized properties and effector
functions. T-helper (T-H) cells are traditionally thought to differentiate
into T(H)1 and T(H)2 cell subsets. T(H)1 cells are necessary to clear
intracellular pathogens and T(H)2 cells are important for clearing
extracellular organisms. Recently, a subset of interleukin
(IL)-17-producing T (T(H)17) cells distinct from T(H)1 or T(H)2 cells has
been described and shown to have a crucial role in the induction of
autoimmune tissue injury. In contrast, CD4(+) CD25(+) Foxp3(+) regulatory T
(T-reg) cells inhibit autoimmunity and protect against tissue injury.
Transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) is a critical differentiation
factor for the generation of T-reg cells. Here we show, using mice with a
reporter introduced into the endogenous Foxp3 locus, that IL-6, an acute
phase protein induced during inflammation, completely inhibits the
generation of Foxp3(+) T-reg cells induced by TGF-beta. We also demonstrate
that IL-23 is not the differentiation factor for the generation of T(H)17
cells. Instead, IL-6 and TGF-beta together induce the differentiation of
pathogenic T(H)17 cells from naive T cells. Our data demonstrate a
dichotomy in the generation of pathogenic (T(H)17) T cells that induce
autoimmunity and regulatory (Foxp3(+)) T cells that inhibit autoimmune
tissue injury."
This 2006 report from Nature was cited 52
times in current journal articles indexed by Thomson
Scientific
during November-December 2007. During that two-month period, no other
biology paper published in the last
two years, aside from reviews, collected a higher number of citations.
Prior to the most recent bimonthly count,
citations to the paper have accrued as follows:
September-October 2007: 68 citations
July-August 2007: 40
May-June 2007: 31
March-April 2007: 30
January-February 2007: 23
November-December 2006: 16
September-October 2006: 18
July-August 2006: 4
May-June 2006: 1
SOURCE:
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