The effects of IL-20 subfamily cytokines on reconstituted human epidermis suggest potential roles in cutaneous innate defense and pathogenic adaptive immunity in …

SM Sa, PA Valdez, J Wu, K Jung, F Zhong… - The Journal of …, 2007 - journals.aai.org
SM Sa, PA Valdez, J Wu, K Jung, F Zhong, L Hall, I Kasman, J Winer, Z Modrusan…
The Journal of Immunology, 2007journals.aai.org
Abstract IL-19, IL-20, IL-22, IL-24, and IL-26 are members of the IL-10 family of cytokines that
have been shown to be up-regulated in psoriatic skin. Contrary to IL-10, these cytokines
signal using receptor complex R1 subunits that are preferentially expressed on cells of
epithelial origin; thus, we henceforth refer to them as the IL-20 subfamily cytokines. In this
study, we show that primary human keratinocytes (KCs) express receptors for these
cytokines and that IL-19, IL-20, IL-22, and IL-24 induce acanthosis in reconstituted human …
Abstract
IL-19, IL-20, IL-22, IL-24, and IL-26 are members of the IL-10 family of cytokines that have been shown to be up-regulated in psoriatic skin. Contrary to IL-10, these cytokines signal using receptor complex R1 subunits that are preferentially expressed on cells of epithelial origin; thus, we henceforth refer to them as the IL-20 subfamily cytokines. In this study, we show that primary human keratinocytes (KCs) express receptors for these cytokines and that IL-19, IL-20, IL-22, and IL-24 induce acanthosis in reconstituted human epidermis (RHE) in a dose-dependent manner. These cytokines also induce expression of the psoriasis-associated protein S100A7 and keratin 16 in RHE and cause persistent activation of Stat3 with nuclear localization. IL-22 had the most pronounced effects on KC proliferation and on the differentiation of KCs in RHE, inducing a decrease in the granular cell layer (hypogranulosis). Furthermore, gene expression analysis performed on cultured RHE treated with these cytokines showed that IL-19, IL-20, IL-22, and IL-24 regulate many of these same genes to variable degrees, inducing a gene expression profile consistent with inflammatory responses, wound healing re-epithelialization, and altered differentiation. Many of these genes have also been found to be up-regulated in psoriatic skin, including several chemokines, β-defensins, S100 family proteins, and kallikreins. These results confirm that IL-20 subfamily cytokines are important regulators of epidermal KC biology with potentially pivotal roles in the immunopathology of psoriasis.
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