Interferon-lambda is functionally an interferon but structurally related to the interleukin-10 family.
J Biol Chem
; 284(31): 20869-75, 2009 Jul 31.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-19457860
ABSTRACT
Interferon-lambda (IFN-lambda) is an antiviral cytokine that signals through a distinct receptor complex, composed of the IFN-lambdaR1 and interleukin-10R2 (IL-10R2) receptor chains. We have determined the crystal structure of human IFN-lambda3 and characterized the interaction with its receptor complex through structure-based site-directed mutagenesis. The ability of IFN-lambda3 mutants to signal was determined by measuring the antiviral activity and induced STAT2 phosphorylation. In conclusion, our data show that, although IFN-lambda is functionally an interferon, it is clearly structurally related to members of the IL-10 family. In particular, we found an interesting similarity between IFN-lambda and IL-22, and we suggest that IFN-lambda and IL-22 possess parallel functions, protecting epithelial tissue against viral and bacterial infections, respectively.
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Interleukins
/
Interleukin-10
Type of study:
Prognostic_studies
Limits:
Humans
Language:
En
Journal:
J Biol Chem
Year:
2009
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Denmark