Title:Interleukin-19 as an Immunoregulatory Cytokine
Volume: 14
Author(s): Yasuyuki Fujimoto, Nobuyuki Kuramoto, Masanori Yoneyama and Yasu-Taka Azuma*
Affiliation:
- Laboratory of Veterinary Pharmacology, Division of Veterinary Science, Osaka Prefecture University Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Izumisano, Osaka598-8531,Japan
Keywords:
Interleukin 19, anti-inflammatory agents, mediators of inflammation, immunological disease, interleukin-20 receptors,
drug targeting.
Abstract: IL-19 is a type of anti-inflammatory cytokine. Since the receptor for IL-19 is common to
IL-20 and IL-24, it is important to clarify the role of each of the three cytokines. If three different
cytokines bind to the same receptor, these three may have been produced to complement the other
two. However, perhaps it is unlikely. Recently, the existence of a novel receptor for IL-19 was
suggested. The distinction between the roles of the three cytokines still makes sense. On the other
hand, because T cells do not produce IL-19, their role in acquired immunity is limited or indirect. It
has been reported that IL-19 causes inflammation in some diseases but does not have an anti-inflammatory
effect. In this review, we introduce the current role of IL-19 in each disease. In addition,
we will describe the molecular mechanism of IL-19 and its development for the prevention of
diseases. IL-19 was previously considered an anti-inflammatory cytokine, but we would like to propose
it as an immunoregulatory cytokine.