@Article{ecn.2008.0120,
AUTHOR = {Anne-Hélène Pillet, Olivier Juffroy, Virginie Mazard-Pasquier, Jean-Louis Moreau, Franck Gesbert, Patricia Chastagner, Jean-Hervé Colle, Jacques Thèze, Thierry Rose},
TITLE = {Human IL-Rβ chains form IL-2 binding homodimers},
JOURNAL = {European Cytokine Network},
VOLUME = {19},
YEAR = {2008},
NUMBER = {1},
PAGES = {49--59},
URL = {http://www.techscience.com/ECN/v19n1/65948},
ISSN = {1952-4005},
ABSTRACT = {Two types of functional interleukin-2 receptor (IL-2Rα/IL-2Rβ/γc and IL-2Rβ/γc) have already
been characterized in humans. Here we describe a new form consisting of IL-2Rβ/β homodimers that assemble
spontaneously in the absence of γc. Co-transfection of COS-7 cells with constructs expressing IL-2Rβ chains
tagged with either HA or MYC sequences results in the formation of IL-2Rβ:HA/IL-2Rβ:MYC complexes
detectable by coimmunoprecipitation. The formation of these IL-2Rβ:HA/IL-2Rβ:MYC dimers is also observed
in the absence of IL-2. Moreover, in COS cells expressing chimeras of IL-2Rβ fused to fluorescence reporters such
as IL-2Rβ:ECFP and IL-2Rβ:EYFP, we also observed specific FRET at the surface of living cells, as expected for
dimer formation. Transiently transfected COS-7 cells expressing IL-2Rβ bind 125
I-labeled IL-2 (homodimers,
Kd = 1nM) as cells expressing both IL-2Rβ and γc chains (heterodimers, Kd = 1 nM). IL-2Rβ/IL-2Rβ could
represent either a decoy receptor or a new form of IL-2R involved in signaling when γc expression is low.},
DOI = {10.1684/ecn.2008.0120}
}