Interleukin-18 in Health and Disease
1
Department of Immunology, Hyogo College of Medicine, 1-1 Mukogawa-cho, Nishinomiya, Hyogo 663-8501, Japan
2
Department of Surgery, Hyogo College of Medicine, 1-1 Mukogawa-cho, Nishinomiya, Hyogo 663-8501, Japan
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2019, 20(3), 649; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms20030649
Received: 21 December 2018
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Revised: 28 January 2019
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Accepted: 29 January 2019
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Published: 2 February 2019
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Interleukins in Health and Disease)
Interleukin (IL)-18 was originally discovered as a factor that enhanced IFN-γ production from anti-CD3-stimulated Th1 cells, especially in the presence of IL-12. Upon stimulation with Ag plus IL-12, naïve T cells develop into IL-18 receptor (IL-18R) expressing Th1 cells, which increase IFN-γ production in response to IL-18 stimulation. Therefore, IL-12 is a commitment factor that induces the development of Th1 cells. In contrast, IL-18 is a proinflammatory cytokine that facilitates type 1 responses. However, IL-18 without IL-12 but with IL-2, stimulates NK cells, CD4+ NKT cells, and established Th1 cells, to produce IL-3, IL-9, and IL-13. Furthermore, together with IL-3, IL-18 stimulates mast cells and basophils to produce IL-4, IL-13, and chemical mediators such as histamine. Therefore, IL-18 is a cytokine that stimulates various cell types and has pleiotropic functions. IL-18 is a member of the IL-1 family of cytokines. IL-18 demonstrates a unique function by binding to a specific receptor expressed on various types of cells. In this review article, we will focus on the unique features of IL-18 in health and disease in experimental animals and humans.
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Keywords:
IFN-γ; Inflammation; host defense; disease; innate-type allergy; therapeutic target
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MDPI and ACS Style
Yasuda, K.; Nakanishi, K.; Tsutsui, H. Interleukin-18 in Health and Disease. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2019, 20, 649. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms20030649
AMA Style
Yasuda K, Nakanishi K, Tsutsui H. Interleukin-18 in Health and Disease. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2019; 20(3):649. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms20030649
Chicago/Turabian StyleYasuda, Koubun, Kenji Nakanishi, and Hiroko Tsutsui. 2019. "Interleukin-18 in Health and Disease" International Journal of Molecular Sciences 20, no. 3: 649. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms20030649
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