title: Regulation of IL-6 in Immunity and Diseases.
abstract: Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a prototypical cytokine with functional pleiotropy and plays an important role in host defense. When infections or tissue injuries occur, IL-6 is promptly produced by monocytes and macrophages and contributes to removal of infectious agents and restoration of damaged tissues through activation of immune, hematological, and acute-phase responses. Once stress is removed from the host, IL-6 synthesis ends, but uncontrolled excessive or persistent IL-6 production plays a pathological role in the development of various inflammatory diseases and cancers, indicating that IL-6 is a double-edged sword for the host. Thus, the proper IL-6 expression is very important for host defense and is strictly controlled by chromatin structure, transcriptional regulation, and posttranscriptional modification. Differentiation status of cells, various transcription factors, RNA-binding proteins, and microRNAs are involved in this process. Since it is assumed that dysregulation of any of these regulatory molecules may cause abnormal IL-6 expression in a particular disease, further elucidation of the factors and processes involved in IL-6 expression can be expected to facilitate to clarification of pathogenesis and to identification of novel target molecule(s) for specific diseases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Application of Biologics, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan.
authors.forename: Toshio
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory Medicine, Allergy and Rheumatic Diseases, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan.
authors.forename: Masashi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Narazaki
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Immune Regulation, World Premier International Immunology Frontier Research Center, Osaka University, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan.
authors.forename: Kazuya
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Masuda
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Immune Regulation, World Premier International Immunology Frontier Research Center, Osaka University, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan. kishimoto@ifrec.osaka-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Tadamitsu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kishimoto
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004194:Disease / Q000235:genetics*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006801:Humans; D007107:Immune System / Q000378:metabolism*; D007249:Inflammation / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D011499:Protein Processing, Post-Translational; D034622:RNA Interference
chemical_list: C508600:IL6 protein, human; D015850:Interleukin-6
keywords: Arid5a; IL-6; MicroRNAs; Regnase-1