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  • Th17 Cytokines Stimulate CC...
    Harper, Erin G.; Guo, Changsheng; Rizzo, Heather; Lillis, Joseph V.; Kurtz, Stephen E.; Skorcheva, Iliyana; Purdy, David; Fitch, Erin; Iordanov, Mihail; Blauvelt, Andrew

    Journal of investigative dermatology, 09/2009, Volume: 129, Issue: 9
    Journal Article

    T helper (Th) 17 cells have recently been implicated in psoriasis pathogenesis, but mechanisms of how these cells traffic into inflamed skin are unknown. By immunostaining for interleukin (IL)-17A and IL-22, we show numerous cells present in psoriasis lesions that produce these cytokines. We next found that Th17 cytokines (IL-17A, IL-22, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α) markedly increased the expression of CC chemokine ligand (CCL) 20, a CC chemokine receptor (CCR)6 ligand, in human keratinocyte monolayer and raft cultures in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Lastly, we showed in mice that subcutaneous injection with recombinant IL-17A, IL-22, or TNF-α led to the upregulation of both CCL20 and CCR6 expression in skin as well as cutaneous T-cell infiltration. Taken together, these data show that Th17 cytokines stimulate CCL20 production in vitro and in vivo, and thus provide a potential explanation of how CCR6-positive Th17 cells maintain their continual presence in psoriasis through a positive chemotactic feedback loop.