Interleukin-27 subunit alpha (IL27)

Associates with EBI3 to form the IL-27 interleukin, a heterodimeric cytokine which functions in innate immunity. IL-27 has pro- and anti-inflammatory properties, which may regulate T- helper cell development, suppress T-cell proliferation, stimulate cytotoxic T-cell activity, induce isotype switching in B-cells, and that has diverse effects on innate immune cells.

Among its target cells are CD4 T-helper cells which can differentiate in type 1 effector cells (TH1), type 2 effector cells (TH2) and IL17 producing helper T-cells (TH17). It drives rapid clonal expansion of naive but not memory CD4 T-cells.