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. 2011 Feb 22;6(2):e17160. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0017160

Figure 7. Importance of IL-23 and IL23R R381Q gene variant in Th17 cell immunobiology.

Figure 7

The IL-23/IL-23R axis is believed to play a role in both Th17 differentiation in the lymph node and Th17 cell effector functions in peripheral tissues, with the latter becoming increasingly relevant, especially in the context of IL-23-induced tissue pathologies, like psoriasis and Crohn's disease. Our data about the functional consequences of carrying the protective A allele of the IL23R R381Q gene variant suggest that its protective effect against autoimmune disease is driven trough impairment of Th17 cell effector functions, i.e. IL-17A production, rather than Th17 differentiation.