Signal transduction of IL-13 and its role in the pathogenesis of bronchial asthma.
Interleukin-13 (IL-13) is a Th2-type cytokine, secreted from CD4(+) T cells, mast cells, basophils and eosinophils. The human IL-13 gene locates at 5q31, generating a cluster with other Th2-type cytokines such as IL-4 and IL-5. Although the homology between IL-13 and IL-4 at the amino acid level is only about 25%, the IL-13 structure determined by NMR is very similar to that of IL-4. Both cytokines share their receptors and signal pathways, giving these two cytokines similar biological properties. However, the important role of IL-13 in the pathogenesis of bronchial asthma has recently been recognized, based mainly on analyses of mouse models. IL-13 and its signal pathway are thought to be promising targets to develop a therapeutic reagent for bronchial asthma. In this article, we summarize the signal transduction pathway of IL-13, the pathological roles of IL-13 in bronchial asthma and the reagents to inhibit IL-13 signals that are now under development.
Izuhara
K
K
Department of Biomolecular Sciences, Saga Medical School, Nabeshima, Saga, Japan. kizuhara@post.saga-med.ac.jp
Arima
K
K
D000818:Animals; D001249:Asthma / Q000378:metabolism / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D018793:Interleukin-13 / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D053661:Interleukin-13 Receptor alpha1 Subunit; D018123:Receptors, Interleukin / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism; D053660:Receptors, Interleukin-13; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects*
C508181:IL13RA1 protein, human; C508183:Il13ra1 protein, mouse; D018793:Interleukin-13; D053661:Interleukin-13 Receptor alpha1 Subunit; D018123:Receptors, Interleukin; D053660:Receptors, Interleukin-13