Flip the coin: IL-7 and IL-7R in health and disease

• Published in: Nature immunology Vol. 20; no. 12; pp. 1584 - 1593
• Main Authors: Barata, João, Durum, Scott K., Seddon, Benedict
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer Nature 01.12.2019; Nature Publishing Group US; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: 631/250/127/1213; 631/250/1619/554; 631/250/516; 631/67/1990/283; Animals; B cells; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Cancer; Cell Differentiation; Cell Survival; Cytokines; Deregulation; Health aspects; Homeostasis; Humans; Immunological memory; Immunology; Immunotherapy - trends; Infectious Diseases; Inflammatory diseases; Interleukin 7; Interleukin-7 - immunology; Interleukin-7 - metabolism; Lymphocytes; Lymphocytes T; Memory cells; Neoplasms - immunology; Receptors, Interleukin-7 - immunology; Receptors, Interleukin-7 - metabolism; Review Article; T cells; T-Lymphocytes - physiology; Thymus gland
• ISSN: 1529-2908; 1529-2916
• DOI: 10.1038/s41590-019-0479-x

Copyright © 2019, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature America, Inc. The cytokine IL-7 and its receptor, IL-7R, are critical for T cell and, in the mouse, B cell development, as well as differentiation and survival of naive T cells, and generation and maintenance of memory T cells. They are also required for innate lymphoid cell (ILC) development and maintenance, and consequently for generation of lymphoid structures and barrier defense. Here we discuss the central role of IL-7 and IL-7R in the lymphoid system and highlight the impact of their deregulation, placing a particular emphasis on their 'dark side' as promoters of cancer development. We also explore therapeutic implications and opportunities associated with either positive or negative modulation of the IL-7-IL-7R signaling axis. J.T.B. is funded by the consolidator grant ERC CoG-648455 from the European Research Council, under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme, and the FAPESP/20015/2014 and PTDC/MEC-HEM/31588/2017 grants from Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, Portugal; S.K.D. is funded by the intramural program of the US National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, and the Children’s Cancer Foundation; B.S. is funded by the MRC (United Kingdom) under U117573801 and MR/P011225/1.