Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2004 Aug;76(2):416-22.
doi: 10.1189/jlb.1003488. Epub 2004 Jun 3.

IFN-alpha regulates IL-21 and IL-21R expression in human NK and T cells

Affiliations

IFN-alpha regulates IL-21 and IL-21R expression in human NK and T cells

Mari Strengell et al. J Leukoc Biol. 2004 Aug.

Abstract

Interleukin (IL)-21 is a T cell-derived cytokine that regulates innate and adaptive immune responses. IL-21 receptor (IL-21R), which is expressed in natural killer (NK) and T cells, is structurally homologous to IL-2Rbeta and IL-15Ralpha. These receptors also share a common cytokine receptor gamma-chain with IL-4, IL-7, and IL-9. Macrophage- or dendritic cell-derived interferon (IFN)-alpha/beta is a key cytokine in regulation of NK and T cell functions. We demonstrate here that in addition to activating IFN-gamma gene expression, IFN-alpha/beta and IL-12 enhance the mRNA expression of IL-21 in activated human T cells. In addition, IFN-alpha/beta enhanced T cell receptor stimulation-induced IL-21 and IFN-gamma gene expression in resting T cells. The promoter analysis of IL-21 gene revealed a putative IFN-gamma activation site element, which was found to bind signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 (STAT1), STAT2, STAT3, and STAT4 proteins in IFN-alpha/beta-stimulated NK or T cell extracts. In contrast to IL-21 expression, IFN-alpha/beta down-regulated IL-21R mRNA expression in NK and T cells. IFN-alpha/beta-induced down-regulation of IL-21R expression resulted in reduced STAT3 phosphorylation and DNA binding after IL-21 stimulation. In conclusion, our results suggest a novel role for IFN-alpha/beta in the regulation of IL-21 response.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

Cited by

Publication types

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources