Alarmin Cytokines as Central Regulators of Cutaneous Immunity

Tatsuya Hasegawa; Tomonori Oka; Shadmehr Demehri

doi:10.3389/fimmu.2022.876515

Alarmin Cytokines as Central Regulators of Cutaneous Immunity

Front Immunol. 2022 Mar 30:13:876515. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.876515. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Tatsuya Hasegawa¹, Tomonori Oka², Shadmehr Demehri²

Affiliations

¹ Shiseido Global Innovation Center, Yokohama, Japan.
² Center for Cancer Immunology and Cutaneous Biology Research Center, Department of Dermatology and Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States.

Abstract

Skin acts as the primary interface between the body and the environment. The skin immune system is composed of a complex network of immune cells and factors that provide the first line of defense against microbial pathogens and environmental insults. Alarmin cytokines mediate an intricate intercellular communication between keratinocytes and immune cells to regulate cutaneous immune responses. Proper functions of the type 2 alarmin cytokines, thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP), interleukin (IL)-25, and IL-33, are paramount to the maintenance of skin homeostasis, and their dysregulation is commonly associated with allergic inflammation. In this review, we discuss recent findings on the complex regulatory network of type 2 alarmin cytokines that control skin immunity and highlight the mechanisms by which these cytokines regulate skin immune responses in host defense, chronic inflammation, and cancer.

Keywords: IL-25; IL-33; TSLP; allergic inflammation; cancer; host defense; skin homeostasis; skin immunlogy.

Publication types

Review
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Alarmins*
Cytokines*
Humans
Inflammation
Keratinocytes
Skin

Substances

Alarmins
Cytokines