Interleukin-12

Abstract

Interleukin-12 (IL-12) is a heterodimeric cytokine and is amember of the larger family of IL-12-related cytokines. The other members of the IL-12 family include IL-23, IL-27, and IL-35. While IL-12 shares numerous structural features and molecular receptors with other members of its family, IL-12 is functionally unique (Vignali and Kuchroo, Nat Immunol 13:722-728, 2012). IL-12 was first recovered from an Epstein-Barr virus-transformed B lymphoblastoid cell line in 1989 as "natural killer-stimulating factor" (Kobayashi et al., J Exp Med 170:827-845, 1989). The following year, a separate group independently discovered IL-12 as "cytotoxic lymphocytematuration factor" (Stern et al., Proc Natl Acad SciUSA87:6808, 1990). Since its discovery, a tremendous amount of research has been conducted to characterize the physiologic function of IL-12 and assess therapeutic potential of agonist and antagonistic targeting of IL-12 for the treatment of a variety of diseases.