While the classical role of IL-17 involves mediating acute immune responses against extracellular bacterial and fungal infections, as well as being a key player in autoimmune diseases such as psoriasis, ankylosing spondylitis, and multiple sclerosis (MS) (Koh et al. 2024), recent findings have established IL-17 as a crucial mediator in neuro-immune interactions. The gene discussed is IL17A; the disease is ankylosing spondylitis.