REVIEW article
Front. Immunol.
Sec. Autoimmune and Autoinflammatory Disorders : Autoimmune Disorders
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2025.1615611
Targeting Th9 cells in autoimmune diseases: A narrative review
Provisionally accepted
- 1Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China
- 2Affiliated Hospital of Stomatology, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
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T helper 9 (Th9) cells are a newly identified subset of effector T cells, characterized by their production of IL-9, a hallmark cytokine. Transcription factors such as PU.1 and IRF4 bind to the IL9 gene promoter and transactivate its expression. IL-9 and its associated transcription factors regulate various aspects of Th9 cell biology, including proliferation, apoptosis, differentiation, and interactions with other immune cells through downstream signaling pathways. In recent years, the involvement of Th9 cells in autoimmune diseases has been widely investigated. Multiple studies have reported aberrant expression of IL-9, PU.1, and IRF4 in these inflammatory conditions, and functional analyses have demonstrated their significant roles in disease development. In this review, we comprehensively summarize the relationship among Th9-related cytokines, transcription factors, and 14 autoimmune diseases, based on both in vivo and in vitro evidence.We further discuss the regulatory effects of intracellular and extracellular signaling pathways on Th9 cell functions. This compilation of findings may facilitate future research and the development of clinical strategies targeting Th9 cells in autoimmune diseases.
Keywords: Th9 cells, IL-9, Autoimmunity, Therapeutic target, Inflammation
Received: 21 Apr 2025; Accepted: 03 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Xu, Chen, Li, Yang and Huang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: An-Fang Huang, Affiliated Hospital of Stomatology, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
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