Description
IL-32 is approximately 26kD and is a pro-inflammatory cytokine that can induce cells of the immune system to secrete inflammatory cytokines including TNFα. IL-32 can also support osteoclast differentiation by regulating the MAPK/ERK pathway and the actin cytoskeleton. IL-32 can exist in at least four differentially spliced isoforms (α, β, γ and δ) with IL-32α being the shortest and most abundant of the four variants. Remarkably, it does not share sequence homology with known cytokine families and is highly expressed in immune tissues. Elevated levels of IL-32 are present in patients with coronary artery disease and endometriosis and may play a role in other autoimmune and inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis. In a recent lung cancer study, the inhibitory effects of IL-32γ on tumor development were associated with inhibition of the STAT5 pathway which ultimately demonstrated that IL-32γ negatively regulates tumor development suggesting that IL-32γ has therapeutic potential for use in the treatment of cancer progression