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  • Title: IL-18 promotes type 1 cytokine production from NK cells and T cells in human intracellular infection.
    Author: García VE, Uyemura K, Sieling PA, Ochoa MT, Morita CT, Okamura H, Kurimoto M, Rea TH, Modlin RL.
    Journal: J Immunol; 1999 May 15; 162(10):6114-21. PubMed ID: 10229854.
    Abstract:
    We investigated the role of IL-18 in leprosy, a disease characterized by polar cytokine responses that correlate with clinical disease. In vivo, IL-18 mRNA expression was higher in lesions from resistant tuberculoid as compared with susceptible lepromatous patients, and, in vitro, monocytes produced IL-18 in response to Mycobacterium leprae. rIL-18 augmented M. leprae-induced IFN-gamma in tuberculoid patients, but not lepromatous patients, while IL-4 production was not induced by IL-18. Anti-IL-12 partially inhibited M. leprae-induced release of IFN-gamma in the presence of IL-18, suggesting a combined effect of IL-12 and IL-18 in promoting M. leprae-specific type 1 responses. IL-18 enhanced M. leprae-induced IFN-gamma production rapidly (24 h) by NK cells and in a more sustained manner (5 days) by T cells. Finally, IL-18 directly induced IFN-gamma production from mycobacteria-reactive T cell clones. These results suggest that IL-18 induces type 1 cytokine responses in the host defense against intracellular infection.
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