IL-12 alpha

Interleukin-12 subunit alpha (IL-12A; IL-12p35), an immune-suppressive cytokine, encodes a subunit of the cytokine IL-12 that acts on T and natural killer cells, and has a broad array of biological activities. IL-12A is a disulfide-linked heterodimer composed of the 35-kD subunit encoded by this gene, and a 40-kD subunit that is a member of the cytokine receptor family. IL-12 is primarily produced by professional antigen-presenting cells (APCs) such as B-cells and dendritic cells (DCs) as well as macrophages and granulocytes, induces the production of IFN-gamma, favors the differentiation of Th1 cells and is an important link between innate resistance and adaptive immunity[1][2].
IL-12A suppresses lymphocyte proliferation, induces expansion of IL-10-expressing and IL-35-expressing B cells and ameliorates autoimmune uveitis in mice by antagonizing pathogenic Th17 responses. IL-12A-mediated expansion of Treg and Breg cells and its amelioration of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) correlated with inhibition of cytokine-induced activation of STAT1/STAT3 pathways. IL-12A may be utilized for in vivo expansion of Tregs and Bregs cells and autologous Tregs and Bregs cell immunotherapy[1][2].