AUTHOR=Nemmer Jana Maria , Kuchner Marcus , Datsi Angeliki , Oláh Péter , Julia Valérie , Raap Ulrike , Homey Bernhard TITLE=Interleukin-31 Signaling Bridges the Gap Between Immune Cells, the Nervous System and Epithelial Tissues JOURNAL=Frontiers in Medicine VOLUME=8 YEAR=2021 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/medicine/articles/10.3389/fmed.2021.639097 DOI=10.3389/fmed.2021.639097 ISSN=2296-858X ABSTRACT=

Pruritus represents one of the most common symptoms in dermatology and general medicine. Chronic pruritus severely impairs the quality of life of affected patients. During the last two decades a number of modulators and mediator of pruritus have been identified. Recently, Interleukin (IL)-31 and its receptor complex attracted significant interest, as clinical phase two studies demonstrated therapeutic efficacy of the neutralizing IL-31 receptor A (IL-31RA) antibody nemolizumab in patients suffering from atopic dermatitis or prurigo nodularis. IL-31 has also been shown to play relevant roles in allergic contact dermatitis, urticaria, mastocytosis, allergic rhinitis and asthma. Here, we summarize the current knowledge of the novel cytokine IL-31 and its receptor regarding cellular origin, regulation, signaling pathways and their involvement in biological processes such as pruritus, neuronal growth, inflammation, barrier dysfunction and tissue remodeling.