IL-12 and IL-23—Close Relatives with Structural Homologies but Distinct Immunological Functions

• Published in: Cells (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 9; no. 10; p. 2184
• Main Authors: Floss, Doreen M., Moll, Jens M., Scheller, Jürgen
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 28.09.2020; MDPI
• Subjects: Amino acid sequence; Autoimmune diseases; Chemical bonds; Clinical trials; Cytokines; Drug delivery; IL-12; IL-12 family cytokines; IL-23; Immune system; Immunosuppressive agents; Inflammation; Interleukin 12; Interleukin 23; Interleukins; Intracellular; Intracellular signalling; Mutation; Observations; Physiological aspects; Protein interaction; Quality control; Review; Signal transduction; signaling; Single-nucleotide polymorphism; Structure; Germany
• ISSN: 2073-4409; 2073-4409
• DOI: 10.3390/cells9102184

Cytokines of the IL-12 family show structural similarities but have distinct functions in the immune system. Prominent members of this cytokine family are the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-12 and IL-23. These two cytokines share cytokine subunits and receptor chains but have different functions in autoimmune diseases, cancer and infections. Accordingly, structural knowledge about receptor complex formation is essential for the development of new therapeutic strategies preventing and/or inhibiting cytokine:receptor interaction. In addition, intracellular signaling cascades can be targeted to inhibit cytokine-mediated effects. Single nucleotide polymorphisms can lead to alteration in the amino acid sequence and thereby influencing protein functions or protein–protein interactions. To understand the biology of IL-12 and IL-23 and to establish efficient targeting strategies structural knowledge about cytokines and respective receptors is crucial. A highly efficient therapy might be a combination of different drugs targeting extracellular cytokine:receptor assembly and intracellular signaling pathways.