Invited Speaker

Targeting Interleukin-17A - An Orchestrator of Neutrophil Mobilisation in the Lungs
Anders Lindén
Sweden

This presentation summarizes the immunology of the T cell cytokine interleukin-17A (IL-17A) in the lungs and the potential of IL-17A as a pharmacotherapeutical target. Accumulating experimental and clinical evdience suggests that IL-17A is of importance for coordinating the adaptive and the innate components of pulmonary host defence in mammals. This evidence also suggests that IL-17 is produced by a several subsets of T cells, including the T helper 17 (Th-17) subset. Until now, IL-17A has emerged mainly as an orchestrator of the local accumulation and activity of neutrophils; a role that IL-17A plays by inducing the release of C-X-C chemokines, growth factors and IL-6. Even though its true role may be even more diverse, the proposed role of IL-17A is relevant not only for pulmonary host defence against bacteria but also for chronic inflammatory conditions in the lungs, such as severe asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cystic fibrosis, and lung allograft rejection. From an immunological point-of-view, IL-17A's positioning at the interface of adaptive and innate immunity, is intriguing. It forwards the possibility that therapeutic intervention targeting IL-17A can provide new therapy for the treatment of chronic inflammatory lung disorders related to poor control of the accumulation and activity of neutrophils.