{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,22]],"date-time":"2026-09-22T22:22:06Z","timestamp":1790115726437,"version":"4.0.1"},"reference-count":45,"publisher":"Oxford University Press (OUP)","issue":"6","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2013,9,1]],"date-time":"2013-09-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1377993600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/pages\/standard-publication-reuse-rights"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2013,9,15]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>IL-21 is a pluripotent cytokine that regulates B cell and plasma cell differentiation and is thought be an autocrine factor for follicular helper T cell (TFH) and Th17 differentiation. Although IL-21 has been implicated in autoimmune diseases, its relevant cellular source and target cells have not been well characterized. We investigated this issue in the K\/BxN mouse model of autoimmune arthritis. Adoptive transfer of KRN-transgenic CD4+ T cells into appropriate hosts drives germinal center (GC) formation and autoantibody production against glucose-6-phosphate isomerase, leading to joint inflammation and destruction. By comparing transfer of T or B cells deficient in IL-21 or IL-21R, we were able to dissect the contribution of each cell type. T cells deficient in IL-21 did not induce GC formation or autoantibody production, but they went through normal TFH differentiation. However, T cells lacking IL-21R induced Ab titers, GC B cell frequency, and arthritis development similar to wild-type T cells, suggesting that IL-21 is not required for TFH differentiation and function. IL-21 acts on B cells, because IL-21R expression on B cells was required to induce disease. In contrast, Th17 cells, a T cell subset that also produces IL-21 and can provide help to B cells, are not required for the GC response and arthritis. These data have implications in developing effective therapies for rheumatoid arthritis and other Ab-mediated autoimmune diseases.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.4049\/jimmunol.1301173","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2013,8,19]],"date-time":"2013-08-19T21:29:04Z","timestamp":1376947744000},"page":"2948-2955","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":23,"title":["The Cellular Source and Target of IL-21 in K\/BxN Autoimmune Arthritis"],"prefix":"10.1093","volume":"191","author":[{"given":"Katharine E","family":"Block","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Committee on Immunology, University of Chicago , Chicago, IL 60637"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Haochu","family":"Huang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Section of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, University of Chicago , Chicago, IL 60637"},{"name":"Knapp Center for Lupus and Immunology Research, University of Chicago , Chicago, IL 60637"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"286","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2013,9,15]]},"reference":[{"key":"2025032405380882500_r1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"57","DOI":"10.1146\/annurev.immunol.26.021607.090316","article-title":"Interleukin-21: basic biology and implications for cancer and autoimmunity","volume":"26","author":"Spolski","year":"2008","journal-title":"Annu. 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