EBI3 explained

Epstein-Barr virus induced gene 3, also known as interleukin-27 subunit beta or IL-27B, is a protein which in humans is encoded by the EBI3 gene.^{[1] [2]}

Function

This gene was identified by the induction of its expression in B lymphocytes by Epstein–Barr virus infection. The protein encoded by this gene is a secreted glycoprotein, which is a member of the hematopoietin receptor family related to the p40 subunit of interleukin 12 (IL-12). It plays a role in regulating cell-mediated immune responses.^[3]

EBI3 is a subunit in 2 distinct heterodimeric cytokines: interleukin-27 (IL27) and IL35. IL27 is composed of p28 (IL27) and EBI3. IL27 can trigger signaling in T cells, B cells, and myeloid cells.^[4] IL35, an inhibitory cytokine involved in regulatory T-cell function, is composed of EBI3 and the p35 subunit of IL12.^[5]

Further reading

• Small RD . Letter: Statistical analysis of respiratory sensitivity to CO2. . N. Engl. J. Med. . 295 . 7 . 397 . 1976 . 934235 . 10.1056/NEJM197608122950720 .
• Devergne O, Hummel M, Koeppen H . A novel interleukin-12 p40-related protein induced by latent Epstein-Barr virus infection in B lymphocytes. . J. Virol. . 70 . 2 . 1143–53 . 1996 . 8551575 . 10.1128/JVI.70.2.1143-1153.1996. 189923 . etal.
• Devergne O, Birkenbach M, Kieff E . Epstein-Barr virus-induced gene 3 and the p35 subunit of interleukin 12 form a novel heterodimeric hematopoietin. . Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. . 94 . 22 . 12041–6 . 1997 . 9342359 . 10.1073/pnas.94.22.12041 . 23696 . 1997PNAS...9412041D . free .
• Pflanz S, Timans JC, Cheung J . IL-27, a heterodimeric cytokine composed of EBI3 and p28 protein, induces proliferation of naive CD4(+) T cells. . Immunity . 16 . 6 . 779–90 . 2002 . 12121660 . 10.1016/S1074-7613(02)00324-2 . etal. free .
• Strausberg RL, Feingold EA, Grouse LH . Generation and initial analysis of more than 15,000 full-length human and mouse cDNA sequences. . Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. . 99 . 26 . 16899–903 . 2003 . 12477932 . 10.1073/pnas.242603899 . 139241 . etal . 2002PNAS...9916899M. free .
• Larousserie F, Pflanz S, Coulomb-L'Herminé A . Expression of IL-27 in human Th1-associated granulomatous diseases. . J. Pathol. . 202 . 2 . 164–71 . 2004 . 14743498 . 10.1002/path.1508 . 25887054 . etal.
• Grimwood J, Gordon LA, Olsen A . The DNA sequence and biology of human chromosome 19. . Nature . 428 . 6982 . 529–35 . 2004 . 15057824 . 10.1038/nature02399 . etal. free . 2004Natur.428..529G .
• Gehlert T, Devergne O, Niedobitek G . Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection and expression of the interleukin-12 family member EBV-induced gene 3 (EBI3) in chronic inflammatory bowel disease. . J. Med. Virol. . 73 . 3 . 432–8 . 2004 . 15170639 . 10.1002/jmv.20109 . 40275209 .
• Colland F, Jacq X, Trouplin V . Functional proteomics mapping of a human signaling pathway. . Genome Res. . 14 . 7 . 1324–32 . 2004 . 15231748 . 10.1101/gr.2334104 . 442148 . etal.
• Gerhard DS, Wagner L, Feingold EA . The status, quality, and expansion of the NIH full-length cDNA project: the Mammalian Gene Collection (MGC). . Genome Res. . 14 . 10B . 2121–7 . 2004 . 15489334 . 10.1101/gr.2596504 . 528928 . etal.
• Rual JF, Venkatesan K, Hao T . Towards a proteome-scale map of the human protein-protein interaction network. . Nature . 437 . 7062 . 1173–8 . 2005 . 16189514 . 10.1038/nature04209 . etal . 2005Natur.437.1173R. 4427026 .

Notes and References

1. Web site: Entrez Gene: EBI3 Epstein-Barr virus induced gene 3.
2. Devergne O, Hummel M, Koeppen H, Le Beau MM, Nathanson EC, Kieff E, Birkenbach M . A novel interleukin-12 p40-related protein induced by latent Epstein-Barr virus infection in B lymphocytes . J. Virol. . 70 . 2 . 1143–53 . February 1996 . 8551575 . 189923 . 10.1128/JVI.70.2.1143-1153.1996.
3. Collison LW, Workman CJ, Kuo TT, Boyd K, Wang Y, Vignali KM, Cross R, Sehy D, Blumberg RS, Vignali DA . The inhibitory cytokine IL-35 contributes to regulatory T-cell function . Nature . 450 . 7169 . 566–9 . November 2007 . 18033300 . 10.1038/nature06306 . 2007Natur.450..566C . 4425281 .
4. Batten M, Li J, Yi S, Kljavin NM, Danilenko DM, Lucas S, Lee J, de Sauvage FJ, Ghilardi N . Interleukin 27 limits autoimmune encephalomyelitis by suppressing the development of interleukin 17-producing T cells . Nat. Immunol. . 7 . 9 . 929–36 . September 2006 . 16906167 . 10.1038/ni1375 . 32503719 .
5. Niedbala W, Wei XQ, Cai B, Hueber AJ, Leung BP, McInnes IB, Liew FY . IL-35 is a novel cytokine with therapeutic effects against collagen-induced arthritis through the expansion of regulatory T cells and suppression of Th17 cells . Eur. J. Immunol. . 37 . 11 . 3021–9 . November 2007 . 17874423 . 10.1002/eji.200737810 . free .