Interleukin-2 and STAT5 in regulatory T cell development and function

Abstract

Interleukin-2 and its downstream target STAT5 have effects on many aspects of immune function. This has been perhaps best documented in regulatory T cells. In this review we summarize the initial findings supporting a role for IL2 and STAT5 in regulatory T cell development and outline more recent studies describing how this critical signaling pathway entrains regulatory T cell differentiation and affects regulatory T cell function.

Keywords: :

• cytokines
• interleukin-2
• STAT5
• autoimmunity
• regulatory T cell development

Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest

No potential conflicts of interest were disclosed.

Acknowledgments

S.A.M. was supported by an immunology training grant (2T32AI007313), the University of Minnesota Medical Scientist Training Program (5T32GM008244) and by an individual predoctoral F30 fellowship from the NIH (1F30DK096844). M.A.F. was supported by grants CA154998, CA151845 and AI061165 from the NIH and by a Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Scholar Award.