Interleukin-22 mediates early host defense against attaching and effacing bacterial pathogens

Nature Medicine 14, 282 - 289 (2008)

Speaker: Wei-Ting Chang (張瑋庭)                                            Date : 2008.5.21

Commentator: Dr. Chrong-Reen Wang (王崇任醫師)            Place: Room 601

Abstract

Intestinal bacterial infection by attaching and effecting (A/E) pathogens, such as E. coli O157:H7, represents a major cause of worldwide mortality. Citrobacter rodentium is a natural A/E pathogen of mouse, used for experimental studies on host control infection. Cytokine interleukin 22 (IL-22) is one of the IL-10 family, signals through the IL-22R and IL-10Rb pair. Particularly, IL-22R is specifically expressed on epithelial tissues and believed to mediate innate immunity. The role of IL-22 in host defense against bacterial infection is still unclear. In this study, the authors indicated that IL-22 play a crucial role in the early phase of C. rodentium infection. Bacteria infected in IL-22 knockout mice, which can increase epithelial damage, systemic bacterial burden and mortality. In addition, they not only find IL-23 is necessary for early induction of IL-22, but also the adaptive immunity is not essential in C. rodentium infection model. The results show IL-22 can mediate the production of the antimicrobial proteins Reg family, RegIIIb and RegIIIg, which can be found the same pathway in the human. The results identify a new innate immune function for IL-22 during early host defense against A/E bacterial infection, which may be beneficial for the treatment of certain infectious diseases in the human.

Reference

1.        Zheng, Y. et al. Nature Med. Interleukin-22 mediates early host defense against attaching and effacing bacterial pathogens. 14, 282 - 289 (2008). 

2.        Arian Laurence. et al. Nature Med. Interleukin-22: a sheep in wolf's clothing. 14, 247 - 249 (2008).

3.        Lucy Bird. Nature Rev Micro. Host response: Antimicrobial function for IL-22. 6, 259 (2008).