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2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

Involvement of IL-17 cytokine family in protective immunity to pulmonary mycobacterial infection.

Research Project

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Project/Area Number 15K08468
Research Category

Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)

Allocation TypeMulti-year Fund
Section一般
Research Field Bacteriology (including mycology)
Research InstitutionUniversity of the Ryukyus

Principal Investigator

UMEMURA Masayuki  琉球大学, 熱帯生物圏研究センター, 准教授 (90359985)

Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) 松崎 吾朗  琉球大学, 熱帯生物圏研究センター, 教授 (30229455)
福井 雅之  青森大学, 薬学部, 准教授 (60392502)
Research Collaborator FUKUI Masayuki  青森大学, 薬学部, 准教授 (60392502)
Project Period (FY) 2015-04-01 – 2019-03-31
Keywords結核 / IL-17A / IL-17F / 肺
Outline of Final Research Achievements

Although interleukin (IL)-17A is known to play an important role in protective immunity against lung mycobacterial infection, the role of IL-17F, a cytokine with high homology to IL-17A, is unclear. We demonstrate that the protective response to pulmonary Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection is impaired in IL-17F knockout (KO) mice at the early stage but not in the chronic stage of the infection. IL-17F-producing cells were detected in neither T cells nor non-T lymphoid cells in the infected lung. In contrast, the type II alveolar epithelial cell (AEC) line expressed IL-17F, and its expression was upregulated by mycobacterial infection in vitro. The production of IL-17F was also detected in the pulmonary epithelial cells in the lung of wild-type (WT) mice infected with M. tuberculosis. Thus, IL-17F produced by AEC has an important role in protective immunity against M. tuberculosis infection in the early stage but not in the chronic stage of infection.

Free Research Field

感染免疫学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

結核は20 世紀最大の恐怖を与えた慢性持続感染症であり、依然として猛威を奮い続けている。現在実用化されている唯一の結核ワクチンであるBCG は小児における播種性結核にはある程度の予防効果が認められているものの、成人肺結核に対しての予防効果は極めて低い。本研究では、IL-17ファミリーを中心としたサイトカイン・ネットワークを解析したことにより、結核制御に最も重要なIFN-γを主体とする1型免疫応答に対する協調的作用や相互制御を十分に理解することができた。本研究成果は、肺結核に対して有効性の高い新規ワクチン戦略の開発ならびに結核菌の排除に有効な革新的治療方法の開発につながると思われる。

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Published: 2020-03-30  

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