Role of the β Common (βc) Family of Cytokines in Health and Disease
- Timothy R. Hercus1,
- Winnie L. T. Kan1,
- Sophie E. Broughton2,
- Denis Tvorogov1,
- Hayley S. Ramshaw1,
- Jarrod J. Sandow3,
- Tracy L. Nero2,
- Urmi Dhagat2,
- Emma J. Thompson1,
- Karen S. Cheung Tung Shing2,4,
- Duncan R. McKenzie1,
- Nicholas J. Wilson5,
- Catherine M. Owczarek5,
- Gino Vairo5,
- Andrew D. Nash5,
- Vinay Tergaonkar1,6,
- Timothy Hughes1,7,
- Paul G. Ekert8,
- Michael S. Samuel1,9,
- Claudine S. Bonder1,
- Michele A. Grimbaldeston1,10,
- Michael W. Parker2,4 and
- Angel F. Lopez1
- 1The Centre for Cancer Biology, SA Pathology and the University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia 5000, Australia
- 2ACRF Rational Drug Discovery Centre, St. Vincent’s Institute of Medical Research, Fitzroy, Victoria 3065, Australia
- 3Division of Systems Biology and Personalised Medicine, The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute; and Department of Medical Biology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia
- 4Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia
- 5CSL Limited, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia
- 6Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Singapore 138673, Singapore
- 7South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute and University of Adelaide, North Terrace, Adelaide, South Australia 5000, Australia
- 8Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Royal Children’s Hospital, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia
- 9School of Medicine, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia 5000, Australia
- 10OMNI-Biomarker Development, Genentech Inc., South San Francisco, California 94080
- Correspondence: angel.lopez{at}sa.gov.au
Abstract
The β common ([βc]/CD131) family of cytokines comprises granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), interleukin (IL)-3, and IL-5, all of which use βc as their key signaling receptor subunit. This is a prototypic signaling subunit-sharing cytokine family that has unveiled many biological paradigms and structural principles applicable to the IL-2, IL-4, and IL-6 receptor families, all of which also share one or more signaling subunits. Originally identified for their functions in the hematopoietic system, the βc cytokines are now known to be truly pleiotropic, impacting on multiple cell types, organs, and biological systems, and thereby controlling the balance between health and disease. This review will focus on the emerging biological roles for the βc cytokines, our progress toward understanding the mechanisms of receptor assembly and signaling, and the application of this knowledge to develop exciting new therapeutic approaches against human disease.
