ISSN: 2155-9899
Li-juan Guan and Jin-an Zhang
Interleukin-21 (IL-21), the member of the γ-chain-related cytokine family, and its receptor (IL-21R), has been evidenced involving in the immune response, resulting in the development of autoimmune diseases, infectious diseases and tumors. This short communication reviews an overall outline of its genetic variants and expression in autoimmune diseases. It focuses on a series of recent studies that have supporting the pathogenic role through human or animal experiments in vitro or in vivo.