Interleukin 23

Interleukin 23

Identifiers Symbols IL23A; IL-23; IL-23A; IL23P19; P19; SGRF External IDs OMIM: 605580 MGI: 1932410 HomoloGene: 12832 GeneCards: IL23A Gene

Gene Ontology
Molecular function cytokine activity
interleukin-23 receptor binding
Cellular component interleukin-23 complex
Biological process positive regulation of T cell mediated cytotoxicity
positive regulation of defense response to virus by host
positive regulation of T-helper 1 type immune response
inflammatory response
positive regulation of activation of JAK2 kinase activity
negative regulation of interleukin-10 production
positive regulation of granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor production
positive regulation of interferon-gamma production
positive regulation of interleukin-10 production
positive regulation of interleukin-12 production
positive regulation of interleukin-17 production
positive regulation of tumor necrosis factor production
positive regulation of natural killer cell activation
positive regulation of natural killer cell proliferation
positive regulation of tissue remodeling
T cell proliferation
positive regulation of T cell proliferation
positive regulation of activated T cell proliferation
positive regulation of NF-kappaB import into nucleus
regulation of tyrosine phosphorylation of Stat1 protein
positive regulation of tyrosine phosphorylation of Stat3 protein
positive regulation of tyrosine phosphorylation of Stat4 protein
positive regulation of tyrosine phosphorylation of Stat5 protein
positive regulation of memory T cell differentiation
innate immune response
positive regulation of osteoclast differentiation
positive regulation of transcription from RNA polymerase II promoter
tissue remodeling
positive regulation of inflammatory response
defense response to Gram-negative bacterium
positive regulation of NK T cell activation
positive regulation of NK T cell proliferation
defense response to virus
positive regulation of neutrophil chemotaxis
positive regulation of T-helper 17 type immune response
positive regulation of T-helper 17 cell lineage commitment
Sources: Amigo / QuickGO
RNA expression pattern More reference expression data Orthologs Species Human Mouse Entrez 51561 83430 Ensembl ENSG00000110944 ENSMUSG00000025383 UniProt Q9NPF7 Q9EQ14 RefSeq (mRNA) NM_016584.2 NM_031252.2 RefSeq (protein) NP_057668.1 NP_112542.1 Location (UCSC) Chr 12:
56.73 – 56.73 Mb Chr 10:
128.3 – 128.3 Mb PubMed search

Interleukin-23 subunit alpha is a protein that in humans is encoded by the IL23A gene. IL-23 is produced by dendritic cells and macrophages.

This gene encodes the p19 subunit of the heterodimeric cytokine interleukin 23 (IL23). IL23 is composed of this protein and the p40 subunit of interleukin 12 (IL12B). The receptor of IL23 is formed by the beta 1 subunit of IL12 (IL12RB1) and an IL23 specific subunit, IL23R. Both IL23 and IL12 can activate the transcription activator STAT4, and stimulate the production of interferon-gamma (IFNG). In contrast to IL12, which acts mainly on naive CD4(+) T cells, IL23 preferentially acts on memory CD4(+) T cells.

Interleukin-23 (IL-23) is a heterodimeric cytokine consisting of two subunits: p40, which is also a component of the IL-12 cytokine, p19, which is considered the IL-23 alpha subunit. In other words, IL-23 is a dimer of p40-S-S-p19.

IL-23 is an important part of the inflammatory response against infection. It promotes upregulation of the matrix metalloprotease MMP9, increases angiogenesis and reduces CD8+ T-cell infiltration. In conjunction with IL-6 and TGF-β1, IL-23 stimulates naive CD4+ T cells to differentiate into a novel subset of cells called Th17 cells, which are distinct from the classical Th1 and Th2 cells. Th17 cells produce IL-17, a proinflammatory cytokine that enhances T cell priming and stimulates the production of other proinflammatory molecules such as IL-1, IL-6, TNF-alpha, NOS-2, and chemokines resulting in inflammation.

Knockout mice deficient in either p40 or p19, or in either subunit of the IL-23 receptor (IL-23R and IL12R-β1) develop less severe symptoms of multiple sclerosis and inflammatory bowel disease highlighting the importance of IL-23 in the inflammatory pathway.

Recently, IL-23 has been implicated in the development of cancerous tumors.

Read more about Interleukin 23:  Interactions