Interleukin-18-binding protein 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 ...
that in humans is encoded by the ''IL18BP''
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 ...
.
The protein encoded by this gene is an inhibitor of the proinflammatory
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 ...
IL18. This protein binds to IL18, prevents the binding of IL18 to its receptor, and thus inhibits IL18-induced IFN-gamma production. This protein is constitutively expressed and secreted in mononuclear cells. The expression of this protein can be enhanced by IFN-gamma. An elevated level of this protein is detected in the intestinal tissues of patients with Crohn's disease. Three transcript variants encoding the same protein have been found for this gene.
References
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External links
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