IL-10: A Multifunctional Cytokine in Viral Infections

• Main Authors: José M. Rojas, Miguel Avia, Verónica Martín, Noemí Sevilla
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hindawi Limited 2017-01-01
• Series: Journal of Immunology Research
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2017/6104054

The anti-inflammatory master regulator IL-10 is critical to protect the host from tissue damage during acute phases of immune responses. This regulatory mechanism, central to T cell homeostasis, can be hijacked by viruses to evade immunity. IL-10 can be produced by virtually all immune cells, and it can also modulate the function of these cells. Understanding the effects of this multifunctional cytokine is therefore a complex task. In the present review we discuss the factors driving IL-10 production and the cellular sources of the cytokine during antiviral immune responses. We particularly focus on the IL-10 regulatory mechanisms that impact antiviral immune responses and how viruses can use this central regulatory pathway to evade immunity and establish chronic/latent infections.