The interleukin-7 receptor is a protein found on the surface of cells. It is made up of two different smaller protein chains - i.e. it is a heterodimer, and consists of two subunits, interleukin-7 receptor-α (CD127) and common-γ chain receptor (CD132).[2][3] The common-γ chain receptors is shared with various cytokines, including interleukin-2, -4, -9, and -15.[4] Interleukin-7 receptor is expressed on various cell types, including naive and memory T cells and many others.
Interleukin-7 receptor-α | |||||||
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Identifiers | |||||||
Symbol | IL7R | ||||||
Alt. symbols | CD127 | ||||||
NCBI gene | 3575 | ||||||
HGNC | 6024 | ||||||
OMIM | 146661 | ||||||
RefSeq | NM_002185 | ||||||
UniProt | P16871 | ||||||
Other data | |||||||
Locus | Chr. 5 p13 | ||||||
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interleukin 2 receptor, gamma | |||||||
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Identifiers | |||||||
Symbol | IL2RG | ||||||
Alt. symbols | SCIDX1, IMD4, CD132 | ||||||
NCBI gene | 3561 | ||||||
HGNC | 6010 | ||||||
OMIM | 308380 | ||||||
RefSeq | NM_000206 | ||||||
UniProt | P31785 | ||||||
Other data | |||||||
Locus | Chr. X q13 | ||||||
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Interleukin-7 receptor has been shown to play a critical role in the development of immune cells called lymphocytes - specifically in a process known as V(D)J recombination[citation needed]. This protein is also found to control the accessibility of a region of the genome that contains the T-cell receptor gamma gene, by STAT5 and histone acetylation [citation needed]. Knockout studies in mice suggest that blocking apoptosis is an essential function of this protein during differentiation and activation of T lymphocytes. Functional defects in this protein may be associated with the pathogenesis of severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID).[5]
Several diseases are associated with Interleukin-7 receptor including T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia,[6] multiple sclerosis,[7] rheumatoid arthritis and juvenile idiopathic arthritis.[8]
This article incorporates text from the United States National Library of Medicine, which is in the public domain.