Interleukin Signaling in Cancer Therapeutics
Summary
Interleukin signalling comprises a network of cytokine-mediated pathways that govern immune regulation, tumour cell behaviour and the tumour microenvironment. Key members such as interleukin-4 (IL-4) and interleukin-13 (IL-13) engage shared receptor complexes (IL-4Rα/IL-13Rα1) and the decoy receptor IL-13Rα2 to activate JAK-STAT, MAPK and PI3K-Akt cascades. Aberrant activation of these pathways contributes to tumour proliferation, survival, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, metastasis and immune evasion across a spectrum of solid malignancies. Therapeutic strategies have focused on monoclonal antibodies, receptor-directed cytotoxins and engineered peptides that target receptor subunits selectively expressed on cancer cells. Recent advances include the design of hybrid lytic peptides and high-affinity antibodies that exploit receptor overexpression, as well as epigenetic approaches to up-regulate receptor presentation and sensitise tumours to interleukin-based interventions. Together, these developments underscore the potential of interleukin signalling as both a prognostic biomarker and a therapeutic axis in precision oncology.
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Interleukin Signaling in Cancer Therapeutics publication trend
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Technical terms
Cytokine: Soluble protein that mediates communication between cells of the immune system.
Interleukin-13 receptor α2 (IL-13Rα2): High-affinity decoy receptor for IL-13 often overexpressed on cancer cells and targeted in therapeutic designs.
JAK-STAT pathway: Intracellular signalling cascade initiated by cytokine binding to its receptor, culminating in transcriptional regulation.
Hybrid lytic peptide: Engineered molecule combining a receptor-binding domain with a lytic component to induce selective tumour cell death.
References
- Targeting of the Interleukin-13 Receptor (IL-13R)α2 Expressing Prostate Cancer by a Novel Hybrid Lytic Peptide. Biomolecules (2023).
- Targeting and Sensitization of Breast Cancer Cells to Killing with a Novel Interleukin-13 Receptor α2-Specific Hybrid Cytolytic Peptide. Cancers (2023).
- Possible Roles of Interleukin-4 and -13 and Their Receptors in Gastric and Colon Cancer. International Journal of Molecular Sciences (2021).
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