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. 2019 Oct 17;20(20):5147. doi: 10.3390/ijms20205147

Figure 7.

Figure 7

TH2-inducing cytokines in allergy development. A number of cytokines have been shown to be potent inducers of TH2-mediated immunity. The most well characterized are thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP), IL-33, IL-18, IL-25, and IL-4. IL-18 has been shown to be a potent inducer of TH2-mediated immunity when present alone and not in combination with IL-12. Interestingly when present together with IL-12, IL-18 acts instead as an enhancer of TH1-mediated immunity [40]. IL-4 and IL-13 are the only two cytokines known to induce isotype switching in B cells to IgE [41]. IL-5 is important for eosinophil infiltration activation and proliferation, and IL-31 acts as an inducer of itch in skin with atopic dermatitis. IL-9 is, in mice, an inducer of mucosal mast cell differentiation [42]. Both IL-15 and IL-21 have been found to have TH2-promoting activity as described in the text. Cleavage of the TH2-initiating early cytokines would most likely result in a dampening effect on TH2-mediated immunity.