Immunology Section, Pediatric Oncology Branch, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.
Nat Rev Immunol. 2011 May;11(5):330-42. doi: 10.1038/nri2970.
Interleukin-7 (IL-7) is required for T cell development and for maintaining and restoring homeostasis of mature T cells. IL-7 is a limiting resource under normal conditions, but it accumulates during lymphopaenia, leading to increased T cell proliferation. The administration of recombinant human IL-7 to normal or lymphopenic mice, non-human primates and humans results in widespread T cell proliferation, increased T cell numbers, modulation of peripheral T cell subsets and increased T cell receptor repertoire diversity. These effects raise the prospect that IL-7 could mediate therapeutic benefits in several clinical settings. This Review summarizes the biology of IL-7 and the results of its clinical use that are available so far to provide a perspective on the opportunities for clinical application of this cytokine.
白细胞介素-7（IL-7）是 T 细胞发育所必需的，并且可以维持和恢复成熟 T 细胞的体内平衡。在正常情况下，IL-7 是一种有限的资源，但在淋巴细胞减少症期间会积累，导致 T 细胞过度增殖。向正常或淋巴细胞减少症小鼠、非人类灵长类动物和人类施用重组人白细胞介素-7 会导致广泛的 T 细胞增殖、T 细胞数量增加、外周 T 细胞亚群的调节以及 T 细胞受体库多样性增加。这些作用使得人们认为 IL-7 可能在多种临床情况下发挥治疗作用。本综述总结了 IL-7 的生物学特性及其目前临床应用的结果，为该细胞因子的临床应用提供了一个视角。
