The Role of Cytokines in AD and PN

1967
IgE discovered
The immune system is involved in allergic/atopic diseases.1
1978
Immune system is implicated in AD.
Dermal and serum IgE levels are linked to AD pathophysiology.1,2
1982-1987
IL-4 discovered
- IL-4, originally referred to as BSF-1, is discovered and shown to promote B cell development and function.3,4
- The IL-4 receptor (IL-4R) identified on the surface of T cells mediates IL-4 signaling.5
1985-1988
IL-4 is produced by Th2 cells.
IL-4 is produced by Th2 cells, promotes cell infiltration and mast cell activation, and drives Ig isotope switching to IgG1.6-9
1986-1996
IL-13 discovered
IL-4 signaling and function are mediated by IL-13 and through a receptor complex comprising IL-4Rα and IL-13Rα1.4,10
1991-1996
IL-4 is widely expressed by immune cells.
IL-4 is produced by basophils, eosinophils, CD4+ T cells, and NK1.1+ T cells.11-14
1994
IL-4 is overexpressed in AD skin.
IL-4 is linked to inflammation in AD skin.15
2000-2004
IL-4 and IL-13 are linked to fibrosis.
IL-4 and IL-13 signaling are involved in collagen production and fibrosis.16,17
2001
IL-4 is mechanistically linked to different aspects of AD pathophysiology.
IL-4 induces AD-like symptoms including itch, skin lesions, and inflammation in transgenic mouse models.18
2009
IL-13 is linked to different aspects of AD pathophysiology
IL-13 induces skin lesions, inflammation, skin remodeling, and fibrosis in transgenic mouse models.19
2004
IL-31 discovered
- IL-31 was first described as a Th2 cytokine20
- The IL-31 receptor, a heterodimer composed of IL-31Rα and the oncostatin M receptor (OSMR), mediates IL-31 signaling.20
2010-2022
IL-31 is produced by multiple immune cells.
Th1 cells, mast cells, basophils, eosinophils, dendritic cells, and innate lymphoid cells can produce IL-31.21-27
2004-2014
IL-31 promotes itch.28
- IL-31 is the first cytokine recognized to directly mediate itch and act as a pruritogen.20,29
- IL-31 is involved in the pathophysiology of dermatologic disease accompanied by itch.28,29
- IL-31 promotes itch by interacting with sensory nerves and keratinocytes in the skin.28
2016
IL-31 induces structural changes in sensory neurons.
IL-31 induces a distinct transcriptional program leading to nerve elongation and branching in sensory neurons.30
2007-2010
IL-31 contributes to inflammation.
IL-31 contributes to inflammatory responses and mediates cross talk between eosinophils and keratinocytes.31-33
2012-2021
IL-31 contributes to skin barrier disruption, tissue remodeling, and fibrosis.34
- IL-31 signaling increases epidermal cell proliferation and thickening, impairs keratinocyte differentiation, and decreases filaggrin expression, leading to skin barrier disruption.34
- IL-31 induces genes involved in proliferation and tissue remodeling in dermal basal cells and boosts collagen production in dermal fibroblasts.34,35
- Kramer ON, Strom MA, Ladizinski B, Lio PA. The history of atopic dermatitis. Clin Dermatol. 2017;35(4):344-348. doi:10.1016/j.clindermatol.2017.03.005
- Taïeb A, Wallach D, Tilles G. The history of atopic eczema/dermatitis. In: Ring J, Przybilla B, Ruzicka T, eds. Handbook of Atopic Eczema. Springer; 2006.
- Howard M, Farrar J, Hilfiker M, et al. Identification of a T cell-derived b cell growth factor distinct from interleukin 2. J Exp Med. 1982;155(3):914-923. doi:10.1084/jem.155.3.91
- Paul WE. History of interleukin-4. Cytokine. 2015;75(1):3-7. doi:10.1016/j.cyto.2015.01.038
- Ohara J, Paul WE. Receptors for B-cell stimulatory factor-1 expressed on cells of haematopoietic lineage. Nature. 1987;325(6104):537-540. doi:10.1038/325537a0
- Coffman RL, Ohara J, Bond MW, et al. B cell stimulatory factor-1 enhances the IgE response of lipopolysaccharide-activated B cells. J Immunol. 1986;136(12):4538-4541.
- Mosmann TR, Cherwinski H, Bond MW, Giedlin MA, Coffman RL. Two types of murine helper T cell clone. I. Definition according to profiles of lymphokine activities and secreted proteins. J Immunol. 1986;136(7):2348-2357.
- Sideras P, Bergstedt-Lindqvist S, Severinson E. Partial biochemical characterization of IgG1-inducing factor. Eur J Immunol. 1985;15(6):593-598. doi:10.1002/eji.1830150612
- Lebman DA, Coffman RL. Interleukin 4 causes isotype switching to IgE in T cell-stimulated clonal B cell cultures. J Exp Med. 1988;168(3):853-862. doi:10.1084/jem.168.3.853
- Hilton DJ, Zhang JG, Metcalf D, et al. Cloning and characterization of a binding subunit of the interleukin 13 receptor that is also a component of the interleukin 4 receptor. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1996;93(1):497-501. doi:10.1073/pnas.93.1.497
- Seder RA, Paul WE, Dvorak AM, et al. Mouse splenic and bone marrow cell populations that express high-affinity Fc epsilon receptors and produce interleukin 4 are highly enriched in basophils. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1991;88(7):2835-2839. doi:10.1073/pnas.88.7.2835
- Yoshimoto T, Paul WE. CD4pos, NK1.1pos T cells promptly produce interleukin 4 in response to in vivo challenge with anti-CD3. J Exp Med. 1994;179(4):1285-1295. doi:10.1084/jem.179.4.1285
- Nonaka M, Nonaka R, Woolley K, et al. Distinct immunohistochemical localization of IL-4 in human inflamed airway tissues. IL-4 is localized to eosinophils in vivo and is released by peripheral blood eosinophils. J Immunol. 1995;155(6):3234-3244.
- Bjerke T, Gaustadnes M, Nielsen S, et al. Human blood eosinophils produce and secrete interleukin 4. Respir Med. 1996;90(5):271-277. doi:10.1016/S0954-6111(96)90098-0
- Hamid Q, Boguniewicz M, Leung DY. Differential in situ cytokine gene expression in acute versus chronic atopic dermatitis. J Clin Invest.1994;94(2):870-876. doi:10.1172/JCI117408
- Oriente A, Fedarko NS, Pacocha SE, et al. Interleukin-13 modulates collagen homeostasis in human skin and keloid fibroblasts. J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 2000; 292(3):988-994.
- Wynn TA. Fibrotic disease and the T(H)1/T(H)2 paradigm. Nat Rev Immunol. 2004;4(8):583-594. doi:10.1038/nri1412
- Chan LS, Robinson N, Xu L. Expression of interleukin-4 in the epidermis of transgenic mice results in a pruritic inflammatory skin disease: an experimental animal model to study atopic dermatitis. J Invest Dermatol. 2001;117(4):977-983. doi:10.1046/j.0022-202x.2001.01484.x
- Zheng T, Oh MH, Oh SY, et al. Transgenic expression of interleukin-13 in the skin induces a pruritic dermatitis and skin remodeling. J Invest Dermatol. 2009;129(3):742-751. doi:10.1038/jid.2008.295
- Dillon SR, Sprecher C, Hammond A, et al. Interleukin 31, a cytokine produced by activated T cells, induces dermatitis in mice. Nat Immunol. 2004;5(7):752-760. doi:10.1038/ni1084
- Stott B, Lavender P, Lehmann S, et al. Human IL-31 is induced by IL-4 and promotes TH2-driven inflammation. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2013;132(2):446-454.e5. doi:10.1016/j.jaci.2013.03.050
- Niyonsaba F, Ushio H, Hara M, et al. Antimicrobial peptides human beta-defensins and cathelicidin LL-37 induce the secretion of a pruritogenic cytokine IL-31 by human mast cells. J Immunol. 2010;184(7):3526-3534. doi:10.4049/jimmunol.0900712
- Raap U, Gehring M, Kleiner S, et al. Human basophils are a source of—and are differentially activated by—IL-31. Clin Exp Allergy. 2017;47(8):499-508. doi:10.1111/cea.12875
- Kunsleben N, Rüdrich U, Gehring M, et al. IL-31 induces chemotaxis, calcium mobilization, release of reactive oxygen species, and CCL26 in eosinophils, which are capable to release IL-31. J Invest Dermatol. 2015;135(7):1908-1911. doi:10.1038/jid.2015.106
- Cevikbas F, Wang X, Akiyama T, et al. A sensory neuron-expressed IL-31 receptor mediates T helper cell-dependent itch: involvement of TRPV1 and TRPA1. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2014;133(2):448-460. doi:10.1016/j.jaci.2013.10.048
- Che DN, Cho BO, Kim JS, et al. Effect of luteolin and apigenin on the production of Il-31 and Il-33 in lipopolysaccharides-activated microglia cells and their mechanism of action. Nutrients. 2020;12(3):811. doi: 10.3390/nu12030811
- Alkon N, Bauer WM, Krausgruber T, et al. Single-cell analysis reveals innate lymphoid cell lineage infidelity in atopic dermatitis. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2022;149(2):624-639. doi:10.1016/j.jaci.2021.07.025
- Lee CH, Hong CH, Yu WT, et al. Mechanistic correlations between two itch biomarkers, cytokine interleukin-31 and neuropeptide β-endorphin, via STAT3/calcium axis in atopic dermatitis. Br J Dermatol. 2012;167(4):794-803. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2133.2012.11047.x
- Trier AM, Kim BS. Cytokine modulation of atopic itch. Curr Opin Immunol. 2018;54:7-12. doi:10.1016/j.coi.2018.05.005
- Feld M, Garcia R, Buddenkotte J, et al. The pruritus- and TH2-associated cytokine IL-31 promotes growth of sensory nerves. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2016;138(2):500-508.e24. doi:10.1016/j.jaci.2016.02.020
- Dambacher J, Beigel F, Seiderer J, et al. Interleukin 31 mediates MAP kinase and STAT1/3 activation in intestinal epithelial cells and its expression is upregulated in inflammatory bowel disease. Gut. 2007;56(9):1257-1265. doi:10.1136/gut.2006.118679
- Cheung PF, Wong CK, Ho AW, et al. Activation of human eosinophils and epidermal keratinocytes by Th2 cytokine IL-31: implication for the immunopathogenesis of atopic dermatitis. Int Immunol. 2010;22(6):453-467. doi:10.1093/intimm/dxq027
- Kasraie S, Niebuhr M, Werfel T. Interleukin (IL)-31 induces pro-inflammatory cytokines in human monocytes and macrophages following stimulation with staphylococcal exotoxins. Allergy. 2010;65(6):712-721.
- Singh B, Jegga AG, Shanmukhappa KS, et al. IL-31-driven skin remodeling involves epidermal cell proliferation and thickening that lead to impaired skin- barrier function. PloS One. 2016;11(8):e0161877. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0161877
- Hänel KH, Pfaff CM, Cornelissen C, et al. Control of the physical and antimicrobial skin barrier by an IL-31-IL-1 signaling network. J Immunol.2016;196(8):3233-3244. doi:10.4049/jimmunol.1402943