Therapeutic Applications of Interleukin 24 (IL24): A Review

Fisher’s group identified melanoma differentiation-associated protein-7 (MDA-7) upon discovery of cell surface receptor MDA-7 renamed Interleukin 24 (IL24).It has three N-glycosylation sites. IL24 signals through receptors. Binding of IL24 to receptors leads to the activation of STAT-3 and STAT-1. IL 24 induces the secretion of high level of Interferon Gamma (IFN-γ) ,IL6 and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and low levels of IL1,IL12 and granulocyte macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) from human peripheral blood mononuclear cells(PBMC). IL24 has growth suppressive properties in a wide variety of human cancer cell lines without inducing harmful effects in normal cells. This review is focused on the role of IL 24 on tumor cell biology and its potential therapeutic applications.