IL-22

Alias: Interleukin-22,TIF, IL-10-related T cell-derived inducible factor

IL-22 is a cytokine that regulates the production of acute phase proteins of the immunological response. IL-22 is produced by TH1, TH17, and NK cells acting primarily on epithelial cells and is involved in inflammatory responses. On binding to its receptor (IL-22R1), which is associated to the interleukin-10 receptor 2 (IL-10R2), IL-22 promotes activation of multiple signals including the STAT1, STAT3, ERK, p38, and JNK pathways. IL-22BP, a soluble receptor, that able to bind to IL-22 as an antagonist is thought to provide systemic regulation of IL-22 activity. Interestingly, neither resting nor activated immune cells express IL-22 receptor, nor does it have any effect on these cells in vitro and in vivo. IL-22 is believed to act more on skin cells and cells of the digestive and respiratory systems. IL-22 serves as a protective molecule to counteract the destructive nature of the immune response to limit tissue damage and acts as a T cell mediator that directly promotes the innate, nonspecific immunity of tissues.