細胞激素(Cytokine)在人體中扮演著相當重要的角色，其功能主要在於免疫系統方面，舉凡血球的分化、生成及對抗外來病原體入侵的反應。介白素19(IL-19)和介白素20(IL-20)都是屬於介白素10 家族(IL-10 family)的其中一員，此家族包括了IL-10 、IL-19 、IL-20 、IL-22 、MDA-7(IL-24) 和AK155(IL-26)。為了要了解人類介白素19 和介白素20 的基因調控，於是我們分析了它們的啟動子(promoter)。將221 位個體(58 個健康人、138 個全身紅斑性狼瘡病患和25 個氣喘病患)的IL-19 啟動子定序後，利用電腦軟體加
以組合及比對分析，發現在轉錄起始位置的上游 -743 和 -744 間有74 bp insertion -deletion polymorphism 的現象。且將不同長度的片段分別構築在含有luciferase 基因的pGL3 enhancer 質體上，並進行transfection 至MDCK cells中表現。之後藉由luciferase 的活性分析，發現包含此74 bp 的PA’ (-1860~137)
會降低promoter 活性，但在PB’ (-1120~137) 和PC’(-840~137)時則會使活性增加。此外，我們也發現在介白素19 的啟動子上有兩段相似度極高的區域，且轉錄因子-AML1 的結合位置 (GTGGTA；-142~ -137)剛好位在這相似度高的區域中。於是我們將一個nucleotide(-139)進行突變後，發現promoter 的活性降低了70%。所以我們又利用EMSA 的方法更進一部證實此nucleotide 的位置的確對DNA 和轉錄因子的結合上扮演了關鍵性的角色。而在人類介白
素20 的啟動子上，也發現了318 bp insertion-deletion polymorphism 的現象，且將其構築在pGL3 basic 質體上以進行transfection 來探討，結果發現包含此318 bp 的promoter 皆較不含318 bp 的活性低。最後為了想要研究介白素19 是否有其他未知的生物性功能，於是我們將IL-19 處理人類CD8+ T 細胞後，抽取RNA 並轉成cDNA，再以Real-time PCR 來分析，發現IL-19 會正
向調控人類CD8+ T 細胞中的KGF-1 轉錄本。

　　Cytokines are important molecules in inflammatory processes, the development and maintenance of immune responses and haematopoiesis. Both IL-19 and IL-20 belong to the IL-10 family, which includes IL-10, IL-19, IL-20, IL-22, MDA-7 (IL-24), and AK155 (IL-26). To understand the gene regulation of human IL-19 and IL-20, we analyzed their promoter regions. After sequencing the IL-19 promoters from 221 individuals, including 58 normals, 138 patients with SLE, and 25 patients with asthma, we discovered that there is a 74 bp insertion-deletion polymorphism between –743 and –744. Insertion of this 74 bp decreased the promoter activity in the fusion gene (PA’) containing 2071 bp (from –1860 to 137) linked to the pGL3 enhancer vector, but increased the promoter activity of the PB’ (from –1120 to 137) and the PC’(from –840 to 137). Furthermore, we also observed that there was homology on two regions (-1691~ -1491 and -235~ -37) of the IL-19 promoter. The transcription factor, AML1, binding site (GTGGTA ; -142~-137) is located on this region. Mutation of one nucleotide (-139) decreased luciferase activity by 70%. Finally, the EMSA data proved that this nucleotide was critical for DNA-transcription factor interaction. In addition, there is also a 318 bp insertion-deletion polymorphism on the IL-20 promoter. Insertion of this 318 bp decreased the promoter activity in all the fusion genes linked to the pGL3 basic vector. To study the biological function of IL-19, we treated CD8+ T cell with IL-19. The real-time PCR data showed that IL-19 can up-regulate the transcript of keratinocyte growth factor-1 (KGF-1) in CD8+ T cell.

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