
Cytokine receptors are
receptor
Receptor may refer to:
* Sensory receptor, in physiology, any neurite structure that, on receiving environmental stimuli, produces an informative nerve impulse
*Receptor (biochemistry), in biochemistry, a protein molecule that receives and respond ...
s that bind to
cytokine
Cytokines () are a broad and loose category of small proteins (~5–25 kDa) important in cell signaling.
Cytokines are produced by a broad range of cells, including immune cells like macrophages, B cell, B lymphocytes, T cell, T lymphocytes ...
s.
In recent years, the cytokine receptors have come to demand the attention of more investigators than cytokines themselves, partly because of their remarkable characteristics, and partly because a deficiency of cytokine receptors has now been directly linked to certain debilitating
immunodeficiency
Immunodeficiency, also known as immunocompromise, is a state in which the immune system's ability to fight infectious diseases and cancer is compromised or entirely absent. Most cases are acquired ("secondary") due to extrinsic factors that aff ...
states. In this regard, and also because the redundancy and
pleiotropy
Pleiotropy () is a condition in which a single gene or genetic variant influences multiple phenotypic traits. A gene that has such multiple effects is referred to as a ''pleiotropic gene''. Mutations in pleiotropic genes can impact several trait ...
of cytokines are a consequence of their homologous receptors, many authorities are now of the opinion that a classification of cytokine receptors would be more clinically and experimentally useful.
Classification
A classification of cytokine receptors based on their three-dimensional structure has been attempted. (Such a classification, though seemingly cumbersome, provides several unique perspectives for attractive pharmacotherapeutic targets.)
*
Type I cytokine receptors, whose members have certain conserved motifs in their extracellular
amino-acid domain. The IL-2 receptor belongs to this chain, whose γ-chain (common to several other cytokines) deficiency is directly responsible for the x-linked form of
Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (
X-SCID).
*
Type II cytokine receptors, whose members are receptors mainly for
interferon
Interferons (IFNs, ) are a group of signaling proteins made and released by host cells in response to the presence of several viruses. In a typical scenario, a virus-infected cell will release interferons causing nearby cells to heighten ...
s.
*
Immunoglobulin (Ig) superfamily, which are ubiquitously present throughout several cells and tissues of the vertebrate body
*
Tumor necrosis factor receptor family, whose members share a
cysteine
Cysteine (; symbol Cys or C) is a semiessential proteinogenic amino acid with the chemical formula, formula . The thiol side chain in cysteine enables the formation of Disulfide, disulfide bonds, and often participates in enzymatic reactions as ...
-rich common extracellular binding domain, and includes several other non-cytokine
ligands
In coordination chemistry, a ligand is an ion or molecule with a functional group that binds to a central metal atom to form a coordination complex. The bonding with the metal generally involves formal donation of one or more of the ligand's ...
like receptors,
CD40
Cluster of differentiation 40, CD40 is a type I transmembrane protein found on antigen-presenting cells and is required for their activation. The binding of CD154 (CD40L) on T helper cell, TH cells to CD40 activates antigen presenting cells and i ...
,
CD27 and
CD30, besides the ligands on which the family is named (TNF).
*
Chemokine receptor
Chemokine receptors are cytokine receptors found on the surface of certain cells that interact with a type of cytokine called a chemokine. There have been 20 distinct chemokine receptors discovered in humans. Each has a rhodopsin-like 7-tran ...
s, two of which acting as binding proteins for
HIV (
CXCR4 and
CCR5
C-C chemokine receptor type 5, also known as CCR5 or CD195, is a protein on the surface of white blood cells that is involved in the immune system as it acts as a receptor for chemokines.
In humans, the ''CCR5'' gene that encodes the CCR5 p ...
). They are
G protein coupled receptors.
*
TGF-beta receptor family, which are
Serine/threonine kinase receptors. Includes the
TGF beta receptors
Comparison
Solubility
Cytokine receptors may be both membrane-bound and soluble. ''Soluble cytokine receptors'' are extremely common regulators of
cytokine
Cytokines () are a broad and loose category of small proteins (~5–25 kDa) important in cell signaling.
Cytokines are produced by a broad range of cells, including immune cells like macrophages, B cell, B lymphocytes, T cell, T lymphocytes ...
function. Soluble cytokine receptors typically consist of the extracellular portions of membrane-bound receptors. .
See also
*
STAT protein
STAT, Stat., or stat may refer to:
* stat (system call), a Unix system call that returns file attributes of an inode
* ''Stat'' (TV series), an American sitcom that aired in 1991
* Stat (website), a health-oriented news website
* STAT protein, ...
References
External links
Cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction mapfrom
KEGG
KEGG (Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes) is a collection of databases dealing with genomes, biological pathways, diseases, drugs, and chemical substances. KEGG is utilized for bioinformatics research and education, including data analysis ...
*
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