THE INTERLEUKIN-12/INTERLEUKIN-12-RECEPTOR SYSTEM: Role in Normal and Pathologic Immune Responses

✍ Scribed by Gately, Maurice K.; Renzetti, Louis M.; Magram, Jeanne; Stern, Alvin S.; Adorini, Luciano; Gubler, Ueli; Presky, David H.

• Book ID: 121193215
• Publisher: Annual Reviews
• Year: 1998
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 258 KB
• Volume: 16
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0732-0582
• DOI: 10.1146/annurev.immunol.16.1.495

✦ Synopsis

▪ Abstract  Interleukin-12 (IL-12) is a heterodimeric cytokine that plays a central role in promoting type 1 T helper cell (Th1) responses and, hence, cell-mediated immunity. Its activities are mediated through a high-affinity receptor composed of two subunits, designated β1 and β2. Of these two subunits, β2 is more restricted in its distribution, and regulation of its expression is likely a central mechanism by which IL-12 responsiveness is controlled. Studies with neutralizing anti-IL-12 antibodies and IL-12-deficient mice have suggested that endogenous IL-12 plays an important role in the normal host defense against infection by a variety of intracellular pathogens. However, IL-12 appears also to play a central role in the genesis of some forms of immunopathology. Inhibition of IL-12 synthesis or activity may be beneficial in diseases associated with pathologic Th1 responses, such as multiple sclerosis or Crohn's disease. On the other hand, administration of recombinant IL-12 may have utility in the treatment of diseases associated with pathologic Th2 responses such as allergic disorders and asthma.