Interleukin 23 (IL-23) is a heterodimeric cytokine composed of two disulfide-linked subunits, a p19 subunit that is unique to IL-23, and a p40 subunit that is shared with IL-12. The p19 subunit has homology to the p35 subunit of IL-12, as well as to other single chain cytokines such as IL-6 and IL-11. The p40 subunit is homologous to the extracellular domains of the hematopoietic cytokine receptors. Although p19 is expressed by activated macrophages, dendritic cells, T cells, and endothelial cells, only activated macrophages and dendritic cells express p40 concurrently to produce IL-23. IL-23 has biological activities that are similar to, but distinct from IL-12. Both IL-12 and IL-23 induce proliferation and IFN-gamma production by human T cells. While IL-12 acts on both naive and memory human T cells, the effects of IL-23 is restricted to memory T cells.
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