Biology:Interleukin 37

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Short description: Protein-coding gene in the species Homo sapiens


A representation of the 3D structure of the protein myoglobin showing turquoise α-helices.
Generic protein structure example

Interleukin 37 (IL-37), also known as Interleukin-1 family member 7 (IL-1F7), is an anti-inflammatory cytokine important for the downregulation of pro-inflammatory cytokine production as well as the suppression of tumor cell growth.[1]

Gene location and structure

The IL-37 gene is in the human located on the long chromosome arm of chromosome 2. There has not been found any homolog gene in mice genome.[2] IL-37 undergoes alternative splicing with 5 different splice variants depending on which of the 6 possible exons are being expressed: IL-37a-e.[3] IL-37b is the largest and most studied one; it shares the beta barrel structure that is spread within the interleukin-1 family.[1]

Gene expression

IL-37a,b,c are being expressed in a variety of tissues - thymus, lung, colon, uterus, bone marrow. It is produced by immune cells, most of which are relevant to the immune inflammation response. Examples include natural killer cells, activated B lymphocytes, circulating blood monocytes, tissue macrophages, keratinocytes or epithelial cells.

Some IL-37 isoforms are tissue specific and have varying lengths depending on which exons are being expressed:

IL-37a is found in the brain. The isoform includes exons 3, 4, 5, and 6 and the isoform is 192 amino acids in length

IL-37b is found in the kidney, bone marrow, blood, skin, respiratory and urogenital tract. Exons 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6 are expressed and the isoform is 218 amino acids in length.

IL-37c is found in the heart, and contains exons 1, 2, 5, and 6 for a total amino acid length of 197.

IL-37d is found in the bone marrow and includes exons 1, 4, 5, and 6 for a total length of 197.

IL-37e is found in the testis and includes exons 1, 5, and 6 totaling 157 amino acids.[1][4]

Function

The mechanism of IL-37 functions is still to be elucidated. Known functions of IL-37 include anti-inflammatory effects, tumor suppression, and antimicrobial responses. IL-37 acts intracellulary and extracellulary, classifying the cytokine as dual-function.[1]

IL-37 Synthesis

IL-37, similar to other members of the interleukin-1 family, is synthesized by blood monocytes in a precursor form and secreted into the cytoplasm in response to inflammatory signaling. Examples of relevant inflammatory signals include TLR agonists, IL-1β, or TGF-β.[3] Full maturation requires cleavage by Caspase-1.[5]

Immune System Inhibition

IL-37 is known to have immunosuppression properties through two different binding mechanisms:

Interaction with IL-18 cell surface receptors - Intracellular IL-37 can be released from cells following necrosis or apoptosis.[4] IL-37 has two similar amino acid residues with IL-18, and thus extracellular IL-37 can interact with IL-18 receptor (IL-18R) and co-receptor IL-1 receptor 8 (IL-1R8). The affinity of IL-37b to IL-18R alpha subunit is much lower compared to IL-18. IL-37b interacts with IL-18 binding protein (IL-18BP), that is an antagonist of IL-18. The binding of IL-37b enhances the IL-18BP functions and can upregulate anti-inflammatory signals.[2][5]

Binding to SMAD3 receptor - Mature intracellular IL-37 can form functional complexes with phosphorylated or unphosphorylated Smad3,which can be transported to the cell nucleus. Nucleus IL-37 can have a direct inhibition function on the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokine gene transcription. Affected cytokines include IL-1β, IFN-γ, IL-6, and TNF-α.[3][6][4]

Tumor-Controlled Expression

IL-37 functions are active at low IL-37 concentrations. Higher concentrations leads to inactivation via dimer formation.[4] Experiments also show that certain cancer strains correspond to changes in IL-37 expression levels. Breast cancer and ovarian cancer are associated with elevated expression of IL-37. Colon cancer, lung cancer, Multiple Myeloma, and Hepatoma Carcinoma were correlated with decreased expression of IL-37 expression in affected areas.[3]

See also

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Interleukin-37: A crucial cytokine with multiple roles in disease and potentially clinical therapy". Oncology Letters 15 (4): 4711–4719. April 2018. doi:10.3892/ol.2018.7982. PMID 29552110. 
  2. 2.0 2.1 "IL-37 is a fundamental inhibitor of innate immunity". Nature Immunology 11 (11): 1014–1022. November 2010. doi:10.1038/ni.1944. PMID 20935647. 
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 "IL-37: An anti-inflammatory cytokine with antitumor functions". Cancer Reports 2 (2): e1151. April 2019. doi:10.1002/cnr2.1151. PMID 32935478. 
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 "The Role, Involvement and Function(s) of Interleukin-35 and Interleukin-37 in Disease Pathogenesis". International Journal of Molecular Sciences 19 (4): 1149. April 2018. doi:10.3390/ijms19041149. PMID 29641433. 
  5. 5.0 5.1 "The role of IL-37 in skin and connective tissue diseases". Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy 122: 109705. February 2020. doi:10.1016/j.biopha.2019.109705. PMID 31918276. 
  6. "Reviews of Interleukin-37: Functions, Receptors, and Roles in Diseases". BioMed Research International 2018: 3058640. 2018-04-01. doi:10.1155/2018/3058640. PMID 29805973. 

Further reading

External links

  • Overview of all the structural information available in the PDB for UniProt: Q9NZH6 (Interleukin-37) at the PDBe-KB.