Interleukin 26

Interleukin-26 (IL-26) is a 171-amino acid protein, which is similar in amino acid sequence to interleukin 10. It was originally called AK155 and is composed of a signal sequence, 6 helices, and 4 conserved cysteine residues. IL-26 is expressed in certain herpesvirus-transformed T cells but not in primary stimulated T cells.^[1] IL-26 signals through a receptor complex comprising two distinct proteins called IL-20 receptor 1 and IL-10 receptor 2.^[2] By signaling through this receptor complex, IL-26 induces rapid phosphorylation of the transcription factors STAT1 and STAT3, which enhance IL-10 and IL-8 secretion and as expression of the CD54 molecule on the surface of epithelial cells.^[3]

References

1. ^ A. Knappe, et al., Induction of a novel cellular homolog of interleukin-10, AK155, by transformation of T lymphocytes with herpesvirus saimiri. Journal of Virolology, 2000, Volume 74, pages 3881-3887.
2. ^ F. Sheikh, et al., IL-26 signals through a novel receptor complex composed of IL-20 receptor 1 and IL-10 receptor 2. Journal of Immunology, 2004, Volume 172, pages 2006-2010.
3. ^ Hör S, Pirzer H, Dumoutier L, Bauer F, Wittmann S, Sticht H, Renauld J, de Waal Malefyt R, Fickenscher H (2004). "The T-cell lymphokine interleukin-26 targets epithelial cells through the interleukin-20 receptor 1 and interleukin-10 receptor 2 chains". J Biol Chem 279 (32): 33343–51. doi:10.1074/jbc.M405000200. PMID 15178681. 

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