IL-24 transgenic mice: in vivo evidence of overlapping functions for IL-20, IL-22, and IL-24 in the epidermis

J Immunol. 2010 Feb 15;184(4):1793-8. doi: 10.4049/jimmunol.0901829. Epub 2010 Jan 8.

Abstract

IL-20 and IL-24 share two different heterodimeric receptors consisting of either IL-20R1 or IL-22R1 and a common IL-20R2 subunit, whereas IL-22 signals through IL-22R1/IL-10R2. However, until now, only IL-20 and IL-22 have been proven to play important roles in vivo in the epidermis where all four receptor subunits are expressed. In this study, we show that IL-24 transgenic mice manifest many similar phenotypes to that of IL-20 and IL-22, including neonatal lethality, epidermal hyperplasia, and abnormality in keratinocyte differentiation. These results support a largely redundant role in epidermal functions for IL-20, IL-22, and IL-24, which seem to be IL-22R1 dependent. Moreover, we show that IL-24 transgenic mice exhibit infiltrating macrophages in the dermis with concomitant increases in MCP-1 production from both keratinocytes in the epidermis and immune infiltrates in the adjacent dermal layer below. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the homodimeric IL-20R2 soluble receptor is a potent blocker for IL-24 and can be used to further dissect the crosstalk among the IL-20 family of cytokines in normal development as well as in autoimmune diseases.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • COS Cells
  • Cell Differentiation / genetics
  • Cell Differentiation / immunology
  • Cell Line
  • Cell Proliferation
  • Chlorocebus aethiops
  • Cricetinae
  • Epidermis / immunology*
  • Epidermis / metabolism*
  • Epidermis / pathology
  • Female
  • Genes, Lethal
  • Genes, Overlapping / immunology*
  • Humans
  • Hyperplasia
  • Immunophenotyping
  • Interleukin-22
  • Interleukins / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Interleukins / genetics*
  • Interleukins / metabolism
  • Interleukins / physiology
  • Keratinocytes / pathology
  • Male
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Mice, Transgenic
  • Protein Binding / genetics
  • Protein Binding / immunology
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins / genetics
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins / metabolism
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins / physiology

Substances

  • Interleukins
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins
  • interleukin-24
  • interleukin 20