AUTHOR=Russell Michael W., Feinen Brandon 

TITLE=Contrasting Roles of IL-22 and IL-17 in Murine Genital Tract Infection by Neisseria gonorrhoeae

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Immunology

VOLUME=3

YEAR=2012

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/immunology/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2012.00011

DOI=10.3389/fimmu.2012.00011

ISSN=1664-3224

ABSTRACT=<p>Murine genital tract infection with <italic>Neisseria gonorrhoeae</italic> has previously been found to induce IL-17 which is important in both recruitment of neutrophils and prompt clearance of the infection. As IL-22 is another Th17-related cytokine that has been implicated in the immune responses in several infection models, we investigated its role in vaginal gonococcal infection of mice. Production of IL-22 was observed in response to stimulation with <italic>N. gonorrhoeae</italic> in both mouse splenic mononuclear cells and vaginal tissue explants cultured <italic>ex vivo</italic>. Tissue from mice genetically deficient in IL-22 showed diminished production of IL-6 and the CXC chemokine KC in response to <italic>N. gonorrhoeae</italic>, whereas IL-17 and the chemokines LIX and MIP-2α were produced to the same extent as in wild-type tissue. IL-22-deficient mice were unexpectedly resistant to genital tract infection with <italic>N. gonorrhoeae</italic><italic>in vivo</italic>, but showed no change in the influx of neutrophils to the site of infection. These results reveal divergent roles for IL-17 and IL-22 in response to gonococcal infection.</p>