EBI3: Epstein-Barr Virus Induced 3 – IL-27 Subunit and Immune Regulator
Comprehensive genomic and functional analysis of EBI3, a key cytokine subunit in IL-27 and IL-35, with roles in immune regulation, inflammation, and cancer.
Gene Information Card
| Symbol | EBI3 |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Epstein-Barr virus induced 3 |
| Gene Type | protein-coding |
| Chromosomal Location | 19p13.3 |
| NCBI Gene ID | 10148 ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/10148 |
| Ensembl ID | ENSG00000105246 |
| UniProt ID | Q14213 |
| OMIM ID | 605816 |
| HGNC ID | 3249 |
| Aliases | IL-27B, IL35B, IL27B |
Description
EBI3 (Epstein-Barr virus induced 3) encodes a secreted glycoprotein that belongs to the hematopoietin receptor family. It is a subunit of the heterodimeric cytokines interleukin-27 (IL-27) and interleukin-35 (IL-35), where it pairs with p28 (IL-27A) or p35 (IL-12A), respectively. EBI3 is expressed in various immune cells and plays critical roles in regulating T-cell differentiation, inflammation, and immune tolerance. Dysregulation of EBI3 is implicated in autoimmune diseases, infectious diseases, and cancers.
Disease Associations
| Disease category | Pathophysiological mechanism | Genomic evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Inflammatory bowel disease | EBI3 contributes to IL-35-mediated regulatory T-cell function; altered expression linked to intestinal inflammation | PMID: 21706003 |
| Rheumatoid arthritis | EBI3 expression in synovial tissue promotes IL-35-mediated suppression of inflammation | PMID: 25605269 |
| Multiple sclerosis | EBI3 variants associated with risk; IL-35 modulates Th17 responses | PMID: 23396211 |
| Gastric cancer | EBI3 overexpression correlates with tumor progression and immune evasion via IL-35 signaling | PMID: 27864367 |
| Epstein-Barr virus infection | EBI3 is induced by EBV and may modulate host immune response | PMID: 8642405 |
Expression Profile
Tissue Expression
| Tissue | nTPM | level |
|---|---|---|
| Lymph node | 12.5 | Medium |
| Spleen | 10.8 | Medium |
| Bone marrow | 8.3 | Medium |
| Lung | 4.2 | Low |
| Colon | 3.1 | Low |
| Small intestine | 2.9 | Low |
Cell Line Expression
| Cell Line | nTPM | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| THP-1 (monocyte) | 15.2 | High expression after LPS stimulation |
| Jurkat (T-cell) | 8.7 | Constitutive expression |
| Raji (B-cell) | 6.4 | EBV-positive line shows elevated expression |
| HEK293 | 1.2 | Low baseline expression |
Data source：Human Protein Atlas（proteinatlas.org）
Mutations & Variants
Hotspot Mutations
| Variant | Type | Frequency | Functional Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| c.1A>G (p.Met1?) | missense | <0.01% | Potential loss of start codon; functional impact unknown |
| c.304C>T (p.Arg102Trp) | missense | <0.01% | Located in fibronectin type III domain; may affect protein stability |
| c.487G>A (p.Gly163Ser) | missense | <0.01% | Rare variant; no known disease association |
Mutation functional classification
Loss of Function (LOF)
No confirmed loss-of-function mutations reported in EBI3; predicted start-loss variant may reduce translation.
Gain of Function (GOF)
No gain-of-function mutations described in the literature.
Dominant Negative (DN)
No dominant-negative mutations reported for EBI3.
View complete mutation data：
Gene Ontology (GO)
| • cytokine activity (GO:0005125) | • protein binding (GO:0005515) |
| • extracellular space (GO:0005615) | • extracellular region (GO:0005576) |
| • interleukin-27 receptor binding (GO:0038154) | • interleukin-35 receptor binding (GO:0038155) |
Pathways
• IL-27 signaling pathway (Reactome: R-HSA-9020958)
• IL-35 signaling pathway (Reactome: R-HSA-9020959)
• Cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction (KEGG: hsa04060)
• JAK-STAT signaling pathway (KEGG: hsa04630)
Protein Summary
EBI3 is a 34 kDa secreted glycoprotein that forms heterodimers with IL-27A (p28) to create IL-27, or with IL-12A (p35) to create IL-35. It contains a fibronectin type III domain and a WSXWS motif characteristic of class I cytokine receptors. EBI3 is primarily expressed in antigen-presenting cells, B cells, and T cells. IL-27 promotes Th1 differentiation and suppresses Th17 responses, while IL-35 is an immunosuppressive cytokine produced by regulatory T cells. EBI3 has been implicated in autoimmune diseases, chronic inflammation, and tumor immune evasion.
Related Services
Related Products
| Product name | Cat.No. | Species | Gene ID | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EBI3 Knockout HEK293 Cell Line | EDJ-KQ2551 | Human | 10148 | Details Get a Quote |
| EBI3 Knockout A-549 Cell Line | EDJ-KQ24583 | Human | 10148 | Details Get a Quote |
| EBI3 Knockout HeLa Cell Line | EDJ-KQ55328 | Human | 10148 | Details Get a Quote |
| EBI3 Knockout HCT 116 Cell Line | EDJ-KQ72270 | Human | 10148 | Details Get a Quote |
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