Rat interleukin-18 binding protein: Cloning, expression, and characterization

Sin Hyeog Im, Soo Hyun Kim, Tania Azam, Natarajan Venkatesh, Charles A. Dinarello, Sara Fuchs, Miriam C. Souroujon

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Interleukin-18 binding protein (IL-18BP) is a constitutively expressed and secreted protein that lacks a transmembrane domain. IL-18BP binds specifically to mature IL-18 and inhibits its activity. To study the immunomodulating role of IL-18BP in models of autoimmune diseases in rats, we cloned and characterized rat IL-18BP. Rat IL-18BP has 193 amino acid residues and is highly homologous to human and mouse IL-18BP. Recombinant rat IL-18BP binds to rat IL-18, reacts with antibodies to human or mouse IL-18BP, and inhibits IL-18-dependent interferon-γ (IFN-γ) production in vitro. Thus, rat IL-18BP can be employed to antagonize the proinflammatory responses induced by endogenous IL-18 in rat models of autoimmune diseases.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)321-328
Number of pages8
JournalJournal of Interferon and Cytokine Research
Volume22
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - 2002

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