interleukin-34; IL-34 (IL34 C16orf77)

Function

• cytokine
• promotes proliferation, survival & differentiation of monocytes & macrophages
• promotes release of proinflammatory chemokines
• role in innate immunity & in inflammatory processes
• role in regulation of osteoclast proliferation & differentiation
• regulation of bone resorption
• signaling via CSF1R & its downstream effectors
• stimulates phosphorylation of MAPK1/ERK2 & MAPK3/ERK1
• homodimer
• interacts with CSF1R

Structure

belongs to the IL-34 family

Compartment

secreted

Alternative splicing

named isoforms=2

Expression

• detected in sinusoidal epithelium in red pulp of spleen (at protein level)
• predominantly expressed in spleen
• also detected in a range of other tissues including heart, brain, lung, liver, kidney, thymus, testis, ovary, small intestine, prostate & colon
• expressed in choroid plexus

Pathology

• associated with impaired macrophage function
  • may interfere with macrophage uptake of amyloid fibrils
  • may contribute to pathogenesis of AD through mechanism associated with the blood-CSF barrier

More general terms

• interleukin
• glycoprotein

Database

• Entrez gene: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?db=gene&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=Graphics&list_uids=146433
• Kegg: http://www.genome.jp/dbget-bin/www_bget?hsa:146433
• OMIM: https://mirror.omim.org/entry/612081
• UniProt: http://www.uniprot.org/uniprot/Q6ZMJ4.html