Epstein-Barr virus induced gene 3, also known as interleukin-27 subunit beta or IL-27B, is a
protein
Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residue (biochemistry), residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including Enzyme catalysis, catalysing metab ...
which in humans is encoded by the ''EBI3''
gene
In biology, the word gene has two meanings. The Mendelian gene is a basic unit of heredity. The molecular gene is a sequence of nucleotides in DNA that is transcribed to produce a functional RNA. There are two types of molecular genes: protei ...
.
Function
This gene was identified by the induction of its expression in
B lymphocytes by
Epstein–Barr virus
The Epstein–Barr virus (EBV), also known as human herpesvirus 4 (HHV-4), is one of the nine known Herpesviridae#Human herpesvirus types, human herpesvirus types in the Herpesviridae, herpes family, and is one of the most common viruses in ...
infection. The protein encoded by this gene is a secreted
glycoprotein
Glycoproteins are proteins which contain oligosaccharide (sugar) chains covalently attached to amino acid side-chains. The carbohydrate is attached to the protein in a cotranslational or posttranslational modification. This process is known a ...
, which is a member of the hematopoietin receptor family related to the p40 subunit of interleukin 12 (
IL-12). It plays a role in regulating cell-mediated immune responses.
EBI3 is a subunit in 2 distinct
heterodimeric
In biochemistry, a protein dimer is a macromolecular complex or multimer formed by two protein monomers, or single proteins, which are usually non-covalently bound. Many macromolecules, such as proteins or nucleic acids, form dimers. The word ...
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: interleukin-27 (
IL27) and
IL35. IL27 is composed of p28 (IL27) and EBI3. IL27 can trigger signaling in
T cell
T cells (also known as T lymphocytes) are an important part of the immune system and play a central role in the adaptive immune response. T cells can be distinguished from other lymphocytes by the presence of a T-cell receptor (TCR) on their cell ...
s,
B cell
B cells, also known as B lymphocytes, are a type of the lymphocyte subtype. They function in the humoral immunity component of the adaptive immune system. B cells produce antibody molecules which may be either secreted or inserted into the plasm ...
s, and
myeloid cell
Myeloid tissue, in the bone marrow sense of the word ''wikt:myeloid#Adjective, myeloid'' (''wikt:myelo-#Prefix, myelo-'' + ''wikt:-oid#Suffix, -oid''), is tissue (biology), tissue of bone marrow, of bone marrow cell lineage, or resembling bon ...
s.
IL35, an inhibitory cytokine involved in regulatory T-cell function, is composed of EBI3 and the p35 subunit of
IL12.
References
Further reading
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External links
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