IL-36α: a novel cytokine involved in the inflammatory response in human chondrocytes

Purpose: Recently, a novel member of the IL-1 family has been identified. IL-36α (also termed IL-1F6) is a 17 kDa protein that binds to a heterodimeric receptor composed by the IL-36 receptor (IL-36R) subunit and the IL-1 receptor accessory protein (IL-1RAcP). Several studies confer to IL-36α pro-inflammatory properties and suggest that this cytokine contributes to synovial inflammation in psoriatic arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and...