Description
Interleukin-22 (IL-22), also known as IL-10 related T cell-derived-inducible factor (ILTIF) was initially identified as a gene induced by IL-9 in mouse T cells and mast cells. IL-22 has been shown to activate STAT1 and STAT3 in several hepatoma cell lines and upregulate the production of acute phase proteins. IL-22 is produced by normal T cells upon anti-CD3 stimulation in humans. Mouse IL-22 expression is also induced in various organs upon lipopolysaccharide injection, suggesting that IL-22 may be involved in inflammatory responses. The functional IL-22 receptor complex consists of two receptor subunits, IL-22R(CRF29) and IL-10Rbeta(CRF24), belonging to the class II cytokine receptor family