Cited by 534Cytokine Signaling Pathways and InteractionsPsoriasis: Treatment and PathogenesisRheumatoid Arthritis Research and Therapies

Pleiotropy and specificity: insights from the interleukin 6 family of cytokines

Open access
Murakami, Masaaki, Kamimura, Daisuke, Hirano, Toshio·2019·Immunity

Abstract

Since the molecular cloning of interleukin-6 (IL-6) in 1986, many other cytokines have been found to share the same signal transducer, gp130, in their receptor complexes. Thus, the IL-6 family of cytokines now consists of ten members. Although some of the family members' functions are redundant as a result of the expression of gp130, there are also functional distinctions between members. The mechanisms that determine functional redundancies and distinctions are not completely understood. Yet, research has clarified the role of IL-6 family cytokines in autoimmune diseases and has led to effective therapies that target them. Here, we review the IL-6 family of cytokines in autoimmune diseases, with a particular focus on the prototypical member IL-6, from the viewpoints of their structure, signaling, and biological features and discuss possible mechanisms of their functional pleiotropy.

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Registry

Crossref · 10.1016/j.immuni.2019.03.027

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  • Binding of IL-6 to IL-6RA and gp130 leads to activation of JAK/STAT3 and, to a lesser extent, YAP.

    “Binding of IL-6 to IL-6RA and gp130 leads to activation of JAK/ STAT3 and, to a lesser extent, YAP.23”

    From Kupffer-cell-derived IL-6 is repurposed for hepatocyte dedifferentiation via activating progenitor genes from injury-specific enhancers (2023) · cites this paper as [23]

    The supplied passages and further searches for IL-6 receptor signaling, STAT3, and YAP returned only reference URLs, with no substantive text or section/page labels. Our accessible copy therefore cannot establish whether the paper supports the claimed activation of JAK/STAT3 and, to a lesser extent, YAP. (LLM, conf=0.76)

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  • Proper transduction of the IL-6 signal requires IL-6 receptor IL-6RA and co-receptor gp130.

    “Proper transduction of the IL-6 signal requires IL-6 receptor IL-6RA and co-receptor gp130.23”

    From Kupffer-cell-derived IL-6 is repurposed for hepatocyte dedifferentiation via activating progenitor genes from injury-specific enhancers (2023) · cites this paper as [23]

    The supplied passages and further searches for IL-6RA, gp130, and the IL-6 receptor complex returned only reference links, with no substantive text or section/page labels. Our accessible copy therefore does not establish whether the paper says both receptors are required for IL-6 signal transduction. (LLM, conf=0.76)

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  • IL-6/STAT3 signaling is mainly involved in the proinflammatory response.

    “As IL-6/STAT3 signaling is mainly involved in the proinflammatory response, 23 it was unexpected that it controlled cell identity conversion in liver injury.”

    From Kupffer-cell-derived IL-6 is repurposed for hepatocyte dedifferentiation via activating progenitor genes from injury-specific enhancers (2023) · cites this paper as [23]

    The supplied passages and searches for IL-6/STAT3 inflammation and “pro-inflammatory” returned only reference URLs, with no substantive passage or section/page text. Our available copy therefore does not establish whether the paper characterizes IL-6/STAT3 signaling as mainly proinflammatory. (LLM, conf=0.78)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • IL-6 is a prototypical member of the IL-6 family of cytokines, which is composed of 10 members including IL-6, IL-11, IL-27, OSM, LIF, CNTF, CT-1, CLCF1, IL-35 and IL-39.

    “IL-6 is a prototypical member of the IL-6 family of cytokines, which is composed of 10 members including IL-6, IL-11, IL-27, oncostatin M (OSM), leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF), ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF), cardiotrophin 1 (CT-1), cardiotrophin-like cytokine factor 1 (CLCF1), IL-35 and IL-39 (33).”

    From IL-6 in inflammation, autoimmunity and cancer (2021) · cites this paper as [33]

    The supplied passages have no section or page labels and contain only reference links, not discussion of the IL-6 family. Searches for the ten-member list, IL-39, and “prototypical member” returned no substantive passage, so our copy cannot verify the claimed membership or count. (LLM, conf=0.72)

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  • The IL-6R is composed of an IL-6-binding receptor molecule (IL-6Rα) and a signal transducer, gp130, which is shared among the IL-6 family of cytokines.

    “The IL-6R is composed of an IL-6-binding receptor molecule (IL-6Rα) and a signal transducer, gp130, which is shared among the IL-6 family of cytokines (Fig. 1A) (33).”

    From IL-6 in inflammation, autoimmunity and cancer (2021) · cites this paper as [33]

    The passages from our copy contain reference links and corrupted section headings, but no readable discussion of IL-6R composition. Searches for IL-6Rα, gp130, and shared IL-6-family receptor subunits returned no passage that addresses the claim. (LLM, conf=0.72)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

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Authors
Murakami, M., Kamimura, D., & Hirano, T.
Affiliations
Hokkaido University (JP)
Corresponding author
Hirano, Toshio
Venue
Immunity
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2019-04
Volume
50
Issue
4
Pages
812-831
ISSN
1074-7613 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2936183454
Cited by
533
References
280
Citations by year
2026: 52 · 2025: 70 · 2024: 76 · 2023: 69 · 2022: 90 · 2021: 98 · 2020: 63 · 2019: 15
FWCI
6.36
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Immunity (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Institutional Repositories DataBase (IRDB) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • QST-Repository (National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
Funders
JSPS-KAKENHI
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Oncology › Cytokine Signaling Pathways and Interactions
  • Life Sciences › Immunology and Microbiology › Immunology › Psoriasis: Treatment and Pathogenesis
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Rheumatology › Rheumatoid Arthritis Research and Therapies
Keywords
interleukin-6, IL-6 family cytokines, gp130, cytokine signaling, functional redundancy, pleiotropy, specificity, autoimmune disease, cytokine structure, therapeutic targeting
MeSH terms
Interleukin-6 Inhibitors, Animals, Autoimmune Diseases, Gene Expression Regulation, Multigene Family, Inflammation, Structure-Activity Relationship, Signal Transduction, Interleukin-6, Cytokines, Receptors, Cytokine, Receptors, Interleukin-6, Protein Subunits, Mice, Genetic Pleiotropy

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