The importance of TSLP in allergic disease and its role as a potential therapeutic target.

Thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) is an epithelial-derived cytokine similar to IL- 7, whose gene is located on chromosome 5q22.1 and it exerts its biological function through the TSLP-Receptor (TSLP-R). TSLP is expressed primarily by epithelial cells at barrier surfaces such as the skin, gut and lung in response to danger signals. Since it was cloned in 1994, there has been accumulating evidence that TSLP is crucial for the maturation of antigen presenting cells and hematopoietic cells. TSLP genetic variants and its dysregulated expression have been linked to atopic diseases such as atopic dermatitis, asthma, allergic rhinitis and eosinophilic esophagitis.