Human IL-31 Antibody

Human Interleukin-31 (IL-31) is a 24 kDa, short-chain member of the alpha-helical family of cytokines. The human IL-31 cDNA encodes a 164 amino acid (aa) precursor that contains a 23 aa signal peptide and a 141 aa mature protein (1, 2). The mature region shows four alpha-helices which would be expected to show a typical up-up-down-down topology. Human and mouse IL-31 share 24% aa sequence identity in the mature region (1). IL-31 is mainly associated with activated T cells and preferentially expressed by Th2 rather than Th1 cells. IL-31 signals via a heterodimeric receptor complex composed of a 120 kDa, gp130-related molecule termed IL-31 RA (also GPL and GLM-R) and the 180 kDa oncostatin M receptor (OSM R beta) (2‑6). In the complex, IL-31 directly binds to GPL, not OSM R (2, 3). IL-31 signaling has been shown to involve the Jak/STAT pathway, the PI3 kinase/AKT cascade, and the MAP kinase pathway (2‑5). Although multiple isoforms of IL-31 RA are known, only a form that contains the entire length of the cytoplasmic domain is signaling-capable (2, 3). The IL-31 receptor is constitutively expressed by keratinocytes and upregulated by IFN-gamma on monocytes (1). Studies using transgenic mice indicate that IL-31 may contribute to the pruritis (itching) associated with nonatopic dermatitis (1, 7).