Disease relevance of IFNK

• Monocyte and dendritic cell expression of IFN-kappa was also confirmed in vivo in chronic lesions of psoriasis vulgaris and atopic dermatitis [1].
• IFN-kappa was not detectable in healthy skin but was strongly expressed in allergic contact dermatitis and lichen planus-affected skin [2].
• Furthermore, IFN-kappa exhibited cell-associated antiviral activity against a hepatitis C virus (HCV) replicon cell line [3].

High impact information on IFNK

• Regulatory effect of IFN-kappa, a novel type I IFN, on cytokine production by cells of the innate immune system [1].
• Finally, biosensor-based binding kinetic analysis revealed that IFN-kappa, like IFN-beta, binds strongly to heparin (K(d): 2.1 nM), suggesting that the cytokine can be retained close to the local site of production [1].
• Unlike IFN-beta, IFN-kappa did not induce release of IFN-gamma by PBL [1].
• Although IFN-alpha2a failed to stimulate monocyte cytokine secretion, IFN-kappa, like IFN-beta, induced the release of several cytokines from both monocytes and dendritic cells, without the requirement of a costimulatory signal [1].
• IFN-kappa accumulated in keratinocyte cytoplasm and plasma membrane, and only limited amounts were released extracellularly [2].

Biological context of IFNK

• Analysis of IFN-kappa expression in pathologic skin conditions: downregulation in psoriasis and atopic dermatitis [2].
• Soluble IFN-kappa did not influence keratinocyte proliferation or chemokine and membrane molecule expression, and only its membrane-associated form activated IFN-stimulated response element (ISRE) signaling [2].

Anatomical context of IFNK

• IFN-kappa was particularly effective in inhibiting inducible IL-12 release from monocytes [1].
• In order to expand on the antiviral potential of IFN-kappa, we transiently transfected human cell lines to circumvent the need to purify recombinant proteins and to avoid the possible loss of biologic activity by the purification process [3].
• In contrast, IFN-kappa has been reported to have a cellular distribution limited to keratinocytes and certain lymphoid cell populations [3].
• IFN-kappa was localized mainly in basal and suprabasal keratinocytes and in some leukocytes infiltrating the dermis [2].

Analytical, diagnostic and therapeutic context of IFNK

• However, in contrast to IFN-alpha2b transcriptional signaling and antiviral activity, IFN-kappa activity was not detectable in conditioned cell culture medium [3].

References