Description
Interleukin 17 (IL-17/IL-17A) is the founding member of the newly emerging family of proteins, termed the IL-17 family. This family consists of IL-17/IL17A, IL-17B, IL-17C, IL-17D, IL-17E and IL-17F that share a conserved C-terminal region but different N-terminal segments. These homologous proteins are secreted as a disulfide-linked homodimers but have significantly different biological roles. At low levels IL-17E can be found in several tissues including the brain, kidney, lung, prostate, testis, spinal cord and trachea. IL-17E has been shown to stimulate IL-8 and induces activation of NF-kB