T Cell-Derived GM-CSF, Regulation of Expression and Function

Granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) is produced by a variety of cells and plays an important role in the inflammatory response in infection as well as in autoimmunity. Recent progress has indicated that CD4+ T cell-derived GM-CSF has a prominent and non-redundant function in mediating autoimmune neuroinflammation. Thus, there is increased interest on studying the regulation of GM-CSF production by T helper cells, which could translate to the development of novel therapeutics for autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis. This review focuses on our current understanding of the regulation and function of T cell-derived GM-CSF.