What does high IL-18 mean?
IL-18 has also been found to increase the Alzheimer’s disease-associated amyloid-beta production in human neuron cells. IL-18 is also associated with urine protein excretion what means that it can be marker for assessing the progression of diabetic nephropathy.
What is the role of IL-18?
IL-18 acts to promote Th1 cell activation and enhance the cytotoxic activity of CD8+ T cells and natural killer (NK) cells by upregulation of FasL. IL-18 is a strong inducer of inflammatory cytokines, especially IFN-γ (its original name was “interferon-γ–inducing factor”).
How is IL-18 secreted?
Following cleavage by active caspase-1, mature IL-18 is secreted from the monocyte/macrophage, although over 80% of the IL-18 precursor remains unprocessed inside the cell. Compared to wild-type mice, mice deficient in caspase-1 do not release circulating IFNγ following endotoxin.
What do Interleukin 18 IL-18 indicate?
Interleukin-18 (IL-18) is a potent proinflammatory cytokine that has been reported to be associated with multiple components of metabolic syndrome and to predict the development of type 2 diabetes (7,8).
What cells express IL-18?
Initially identified in Kupffer cells and MØ (14) IL-18 is further expressed by osteoblasts (17), chondrocytes (18), and epidermal keratinocytes (19). Proinflammatory cytokines including IL-1β, TNF-α, or IL-6, as well as LPS, induce IL-18 gene expression (20, 21), directing the synthesis of an inactive 24-kD precursor.
How do interleukins work?
Once an interleukin has been produced, it travels to its target cell and binds to it via a receptor molecule on the cell’s surface. This interaction triggers a cascade of signals within the target cell that ultimately alter the cell’s behaviour. The first interleukins were identified in the 1970s.
What does IL 2 stimulate?
IL-2 enhances activation-induced cell death (AICD). IL-2 also promotes the differentiation of T cells into effector T cells and into memory T cells when the initial T cell is also stimulated by an antigen, thus helping the body fight off infections.