Interleukin 18

Interleukin 18 (interferon-gamma-inducing factor)
Solution structure of human IL-18
Available structures PDB Ortholog search: Template:Homologene2PDBe PDBe, Template:Homologene2uniprot RCSB List of PDB id codes 1j0s​
Identifiers
Symbols	IL18 ; IGIF; IL-18; IL-1g; IL1F4; MGC12320
External IDs	Template:OMIM5 Template:MGI HomoloGene: 1200
Gene ontology Molecular function Template:GNF GO Template:GNF GO Cellular component Template:GNF GO Template:GNF GO Biological process Template:GNF GO Template:GNF GO Template:GNF GO Template:GNF GO Template:GNF GO Template:GNF GO Template:GNF GO Template:GNF GO Template:GNF GO Template:GNF GO Template:GNF GO Template:GNF GO Template:GNF GO Template:GNF GO
RNA expression pattern
More reference expression data
Orthologs
Template:GNF Ortholog box
Species	Human	Mouse
Entrez	n/a	n/a
Ensembl	n/a	n/a
UniProt	n/a	n/a
RefSeq (mRNA)	n/a	n/a
RefSeq (protein)	n/a	n/a
Location (UCSC)	n/a	n/a
PubMed search	n/a	n/a

Interleukin-18 (IL-18) is a cytokine produced by macrophages and other cells that belongs to the IL-1 superfamily. IL-18 works together with IL-12 to induce cell-mediated immunity following infection with microbial products like lipopolysaccharide (LPS). After stimulation with IL-18, natural killer (NK) cells and certain T cells release another important cytokine called interferon-γ (IFN-γ) or type II interferon that plays an important role in activating the macrophages or other cells. Apart from its physiological role, IL-18 is also able to induce severe inflammatory reactions, which suggests its role in certain inflammatory disorders. The protein encoded by this gene is a proinflammatory cytokine. This cytokine can induce the IFN-gamma production of T cells. The combination of this cytokine and IL12 has been shown to inhibit IL4 dependent IgE and IgG1 production, and enhance IgG2a production of B cells. IL-18 binding protein (IL18BP) can specifically interact with this cytokine, and thus negatively regulate its biological activity.

Further reading

• Biet F, Locht C, Kremer L (2002). "Immunoregulatory functions of interleukin 18 and its role in defense against bacterial pathogens". J. Mol. Med. 80 (3): 147–62. doi:10.1007/s00109-001-0307-1. PMID 11894141.CS1 maint: Multiple names: authors list (link)
• Nakanishi K (2002). "[Regulation of Th1 and Th2 immune responses by IL-18]". Kekkaku. 77 (2): 87–93. PMID 11905033.
• Reddy P, Ferrara JL (2003). "Role of interleukin-18 in acute graft-vs-host disease". J. Lab. Clin. Med. 141 (6): 365–71. doi:10.1016/S0022-2143(03)00028-3. PMID 12819633.
• Kanai T, Uraushihara K, Totsuka T; et al. (2003). "Macrophage-derived IL-18 targeting for the treatment of Crohn's disease". Current drug targets. Inflammation and allergy. 2 (2): 131–6. PMID 14561165.CS1 maint: Explicit use of et al. (link) CS1 maint: Multiple names: authors list (link)
• Matsui K, Tsutsui H, Nakanishi K (2005). "Pathophysiological roles for IL-18 in inflammatory arthritis". Expert Opin. Ther. Targets. 7 (6): 701–24. doi:10.1517/14728222.7.6.701. PMID 14640907.CS1 maint: Multiple names: authors list (link)
• Yoshimoto T, Nakanishi K (2006). "Roles of IL-18 in basophils and mast cells". Allergology international : official journal of the Japanese Society of Allergology. 55 (2): 105–13. doi:10.2332/allergolint.55.105. PMID 17075246.
• Orozco A, Gemmell E, Bickel M, Seymour GJ (2007). "Interleukin 18 and periodontal disease". J. Dent. Res. 86 (7): 586–93. PMID 17586702.CS1 maint: Multiple names: authors list (link)