Commentary 10.1172/JCI120415

Classical IL-6 signaling: a promising therapeutic target for pulmonary arterial hypertension

Soni Savai Pullamsetti, Werner Seeger, and Rajkumar Savai

Department of Internal Medicine, Universities of Giessen and Marburg Lung Center (UGMLC), member of the German Center for Lung Research (DZL), Justus Liebig University, Giessen, Germany. Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research, Department of Lung Development and Remodeling, member of the DZL, Bad Nauheim, Germany.

Address correspondence to: Soni Savai Pullamsetti, Molecular Mechanisms of Pulmonary Vascular Diseases, Department of Lung Development and Remodeling, Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research, Parkstrasse 1, D-61231 Bad Nauheim, Germany. Phone: 49.6032.705.380; Email: soni.pullamsetti@mpi-bn.mpg.de.

Find articles by Pullamsetti, S. in: JCI | PubMed | Google Scholar

Department of Internal Medicine, Universities of Giessen and Marburg Lung Center (UGMLC), member of the German Center for Lung Research (DZL), Justus Liebig University, Giessen, Germany. Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research, Department of Lung Development and Remodeling, member of the DZL, Bad Nauheim, Germany.

Address correspondence to: Soni Savai Pullamsetti, Molecular Mechanisms of Pulmonary Vascular Diseases, Department of Lung Development and Remodeling, Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research, Parkstrasse 1, D-61231 Bad Nauheim, Germany. Phone: 49.6032.705.380; Email: soni.pullamsetti@mpi-bn.mpg.de.

Find articles by Seeger, W. in: JCI | PubMed | Google Scholar

Department of Internal Medicine, Universities of Giessen and Marburg Lung Center (UGMLC), member of the German Center for Lung Research (DZL), Justus Liebig University, Giessen, Germany. Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research, Department of Lung Development and Remodeling, member of the DZL, Bad Nauheim, Germany.

Address correspondence to: Soni Savai Pullamsetti, Molecular Mechanisms of Pulmonary Vascular Diseases, Department of Lung Development and Remodeling, Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research, Parkstrasse 1, D-61231 Bad Nauheim, Germany. Phone: 49.6032.705.380; Email: soni.pullamsetti@mpi-bn.mpg.de.

Find articles by Savai, R. in: JCI | PubMed | Google Scholar

First published April 9, 2018 - More info

J Clin Invest. https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI120415.
Copyright © 2018, The American Society for Clinical Investigation.

First published April 9, 2018

See the related article at Ectopic upregulation of membrane-bound IL6R drives vascular remodeling in pulmonary arterial hypertension.

Current therapies for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) provide symptomatic relief and improve prognosis but fall short of improving long-term survival. There is emerging evidence for a role of inflammatory mediators, primarily IL-6, in the pathogenesis of PAH. However, the mechanisms by which IL-6 potentially affects PAH are unknown. In this issue of the JCI, Tamura, Phan, and colleagues identified ectopic upregulation of the membrane-bound IL-6 receptor (IL6R), indicating classical IL-6 signaling in the smooth muscle layer of remodeled vessels in human and experimental PAH. They performed a series of in vitro and in vivo experiments that provide deeper insights into the mechanisms of classical IL-6 signaling and propose interventions directed against IL6R as a potential therapeutic strategy for PAH.

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