Novel IL20 isoforms in EBV-infected B cells

Members of the IL20 subfamily of cytokines, including IL19, IL20, IL22, IL24 and IL26, have been implicated as messengers in the communication between immune system cells and epithelial cells. Upon stimulation with microbial products or other cytokines, myeloid and lymphoid cells can produce IL20 cytokines. These cytokines stimulate epithelial cells to proliferate and differentiate, produce antimicrobial peptides and secrete pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines1. In this project, second- and third-generation RNA sequencing has revealed alternative isoforms of IL19 and IL20 initiating from a novel promoter that is antisense to the more distantly related IL10. Expression of these isoforms is induced during B-cell receptor signaling and viral replication in the Epstein Barr Virus (EBV)-infected B-cell line Akata. These novel isoforms may represent additional insights into the transcriptional and translational control of the IL10 family and its IL20 subfamily of cytokines.