We will also present novel insights into the function of Th cells in tissues. We will especially focus on Th-cell subsets in the skin as a model organ to investigate the full spectra of functional Th-cell diversity. The first approach to define distinct Th-cell subsets relates to the pioneering work of Mosmann and Coffman, who observed that Th cells could be distinguished according their secreted signature cytokines (reviewed in [1]). They defined two distinct subsets, Th1 cells and Th2 cells, selleck kinase inhibitor that differed in that Th1 cells produced IFN-γ and Th2 cells produced IL-4

(Fig. 1). This dichotomous paradigm of Th1 and Th2 subsets persisted for more than 20 years, until about 7 years ago when the emergence of Th17 cells challenged

this simplistic dualism of only two Th-cell subsets [2]. The definition of Th17 cells also sparked the concept of a broader heterogeneity in the Th-cell immune compartment (reviewed in [2, 3]). Following the discovery of Th17 cells, which secrete their name-giving cytokine IL-17, other Th-cell subsets emerged on the scene, including Th22 [4-6] and Th9 cells [7], which express the signature cytokines IL-22 and IL-9, respectively. This system of categorization is well-appreciated and immunology textbooks use these terms to distinguish between Th-cell subsets. However, reality is a bit more complex and immunologists are puzzled by the fact that some Th cells are not restricted to these firm lineage boundaries and co-express signature cytokines of distinct subsets in parallel. Th1 or Th2 cells co-secreting IL-17 are two examples of AZD2281 mw Th-cell subsets that do not fit into the original concept of Th-cell classification. This observation has been attributed to the plasticity of Th-cell subsets.

It is still debated how the phenotype of these “plastic” cells is regulated, and if they indeed have to be regarded as distinct subsets [8-10]. This is especially important with respect to the fact that these “hybrid” T cells change their function upon acquisition of additional cytokine secretion properties. That is, IL-17- CYTH4 and IFN-γ-co-expressing cells are considered to be pathogenic in settings of autoimmunity [11], while IL-17+IFN-γ− cells have even been assigned anti-inflammatory functions [12]. In the future, the original Th classification concept will be further challenged by new detection techniques that allow deciphering the full secretome of cells. This overwhelming information will ultimately lead to the question if categorization according to secreted factors is still reasonable. Another widely used possibility to classify Th cells is the assignment of lineage-specific transcription factors, which are responsible for the initiation of subset-specific differentiation programs and maintenance of the phenotype (Fig. 1). Tbet, GATA3, and RORC are well-established transcriptional regulators of Th1, Th2, and Th17 cells, respectively.