IL-22BP

Interleukin-22 binding protein (IL-22BP, also called IL-22RA2) is a soluble, high-affinity decoy receptor of the IL-10 family that neutralizes IL-22 with an affinity exceeding that of the membrane-bound IL-22RA1/IL-10RB signaling receptor by up to 20-fold. Structurally, IL-22BP resembles a classical class II cytokine receptor extracellular domain but lacks transmembrane and intracellular regions. It is expressed by dendritic cell subsets in intestinal Peyer's patches and draining lymph nodes, and by eosinophils in the small intestine, in a circadian and NLRP3/DC-SCRIPT-regulated manner. By intercepting IL-22, IL-22BP finely tunes epithelial STAT3 activation: it prevents dysregulated antimicrobial and proliferative responses, thereby suppressing intestinal tumorigenesis, while its loss during Salmonella or Citrobacter infection amplifies protective mucosal immunity. Dysregulated IL-22BP contributes to inflammatory bowel disease, psoriasis and colorectal cancer.