title: Signaling of human ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) revisited. The interleukin-6 receptor can serve as an alpha-receptor for CTNF.
abstract: Human ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) is a neurotrophic cytokine that exerts a neuroprotective effect in multiple sclerosis and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Clinical application of human CNTF, however, was prevented by high toxicity at higher dosages. Human CNTF elicits cellular responses by induction of a receptor complex consisting of the CNTF alpha-receptor (CNTFR), which is not involved in signal transduction, and the beta-receptors gp130 and leukemia inhibitory factor receptor (LIFR). Previous studies with rat CNTF demonstrated that rat CNTF is unable to interact with the human interleukin-6 alpha-receptor, whereas at high concentrations, it can directly induce a signaling heterodimer of human gp130 and human LIFR in the absence of the CNTF receptor. Here, we demonstrate that human CNTF cannot directly induce a heterodimer of human gp130 and LIFR. However, human CNTF can use both the membrane-bound and the soluble human IL-6R as a substitute for its cognate alpha-receptor and thus widen the target spectrum of human CNTF. Engineering a CNTFR-specific human CNTF variant may therefore be a prerequisite to improving the safety profile of CNTF.
authors.affiliation: Biochemisches Institut, Christian Albrechts Universität zu Kiel, Olshausenstr. 40, D-24098 Kiel, Germany.
authors.forename: Björn
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Schuster
authors.forename: Marina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kovaleva
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Petra
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Regenhard
authors.forename: Vance
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Matthews
authors.forename: Joachim
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Grötzinger
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rose-John
authors.forename: Karl-Josef
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Kallen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001681:Biological Assay; D002455:Cell Division; D020934:Ciliary Neurotrophic Factor / Q000378:metabolism*; D002942:Circular Dichroism; D016207:Cytokines / Q000494:pharmacology; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D019281:Dimerization; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D006801:Humans; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D051379:Mice; D008958:Models, Molecular; D010766:Phosphorylation; D011485:Protein Binding; D051381:Rats; D020801:Receptor, Ciliary Neurotrophic Factor / Q000378:metabolism*; D019947:Receptors, Interleukin-6 / Q000378:metabolism; D050796:STAT3 Transcription Factor; D015398:Signal Transduction; D020349:Surface Plasmon Resonance; D013997:Time Factors; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000378:metabolism; D014162:Transfection; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D020934:Ciliary Neurotrophic Factor; D016207:Cytokines; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D015850:Interleukin-6; D020801:Receptor, Ciliary Neurotrophic Factor; D019947:Receptors, Interleukin-6; D050796:STAT3 Transcription Factor; C494086:STAT3 protein, human; C494087:Stat3 protein, mouse; C494088:Stat3 protein, rat; D015534:Trans-Activators