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50 sources retrieved · Most recent: April 2026 · Index updated 14 days ago
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IL13
interleukin 13
Chromosome 5 · 5q31.1
NCBI Gene: 3596Ensembl: ENSG00000169194.10HGNC: HGNC:5973UniProt: P35225
739PubMed Papers
21Diseases
7Drugs
0Pathogenic Variants
FUNCTIONAL ROLE
Hub Gene
RESEARCH IMPACT
Highly StudiedTrending
CLINICAL
FDA Approved TargetOMIM Disease Gene
DATA QUALITY
✓ Experimental GO Evidence✓ Swiss-Prot Reviewed
interleukin-13-mediated signaling pathwaypositive regulation of tyrosine phosphorylation of STAT proteinnegative regulation of inflammatory responsepositive regulation of transcription by RNA polymerase IIatopic eczemaasthmaEczematoid dermatitisallergic rhinitis
✦AI Summary

IL-13 is a pleiotropic cytokine that orchestrates type 2 immune responses and allergic inflammation through multiple signaling pathways. Functionally, IL-13 promotes B-cell proliferation and activates eosinophils, basophils, and mast cells 1, while inducing alternative activation of macrophages 1. The cytokine exerts its effects by binding to IL4R and IL13RA1 receptor chains to activate JAK1/TYK2 and STAT6 signaling 2, though IL13RA2 acts as a high-affinity decoy receptor that internalizes and depletes extracellular IL-13, providing negative regulation. Mechanistically, IL-13 drives pathological remodeling in airway diseases by inducing goblet cell differentiation and mucus hypersecretion 3, upregulating vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) for immune cell recruitment, and promoting smooth muscle hypertrophy 4. In chr5 rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps, IL-13 perpetuates type 2 inflammation by activating eosinophils, M2 macrophages, and B cells, leading to mucus overproduction and tissue remodeling 5. Clinically, IL-13 is central to allergic and type 2 inflammatory diseases. IL-13 targeting shows therapeutic promise: tralokinumab (anti-IL-13 monoclonal antibody) improved atopic dermatitis symptoms 6, while dupilumab (anti-IL-4Rα, blocking both IL-4/IL-13 signaling) reduces asthma exacerbations and improves lung function 4. Lunsekimig, a bispecific inhibitor targeting both TSLP and IL-13, demonstrated favorable pharmacokinetics and tolerability in clinical trials 7.

Sources cited
1
IL-13 induces alternative activation program (M2) in macrophages and affects cellular metabolism
PMID: 25340307
2
IL-13 induces goblet cell metaplasia and pathological mucus hypersecretion in airway epithelium
PMID: 33682796
3
IL-13 is a key mediator of type 2 inflammation in CRSwNP, recruiting eosinophils, basophils, mast cells, and M2 macrophages
PMID: 38690264
4
Lunsekimig, an anti-IL-13 bispecific inhibitor, was well-tolerated in clinical trials with target engagement demonstrated
PMID: 38924698
5
IL-13 signals through IL4R and IL13RA1 receptor complexes; IL-13 is a related cytokine to IL-4 in regulating allergic inflammation
PMID: 29930549
6
Tralokinumab, an anti-IL-13 monoclonal antibody, significantly improved atopic dermatitis symptoms at 300 mg dose
PMID: 29906525
7
IL-13 induces goblet cell differentiation, mucus production, smooth muscle hypertrophy, and upregulates VCAM-1 in asthma; dupilumab blocking IL-4/IL-13 signaling reduces exacerbations
PMID: 38785953
Disease Associationsⓘ21
atopic eczemaOpen Targets
0.73Strong
asthmaOpen Targets
0.66Moderate
Eczematoid dermatitisOpen Targets
0.66Moderate
allergic rhinitisOpen Targets
0.55Moderate
psoriasisOpen Targets
0.54Moderate
WheezingOpen Targets
0.49Moderate
skin diseaseOpen Targets
0.48Moderate
childhood onset asthmaOpen Targets
0.48Moderate
respiratory system diseaseOpen Targets
0.48Moderate
dermatitisOpen Targets
0.47Moderate
psoriasis vulgarisOpen Targets
0.46Moderate
allergic asthmaOpen Targets
0.46Moderate
allergic diseaseOpen Targets
0.45Moderate
psoriatic arthritisOpen Targets
0.44Moderate
type 2 diabetes mellitusOpen Targets
0.43Moderate
Hodgkins lymphomaOpen Targets
0.40Moderate
eosinophilic esophagitisOpen Targets
0.39Weak
chronic rhinosinusitisOpen Targets
0.38Weak
alopecia areataOpen Targets
0.36Weak
AllergyOpen Targets
0.35Weak
Allergic rhinitisUniProt
Pathogenic Variants
No pathogenic variants reported on ClinVar for this gene.
View on ClinVar ↗
Drug Targets7
ANRUKINZUMABPhase II
Interleukin-13 inhibitor
asthma
CENDAKIMABPhase III
Interleukin-13 inhibitor
eosinophilic esophagitis
CNTO-5825Phase I
Interleukin-13 inhibitor
allergic asthma
LEBRIKIZUMABApproved
Interleukin-13 inhibitor
Eczematoid dermatitis
QAX-576Phase II
Interleukin-13 inhibitor
allergic rhinitis
ROMILKIMABPhase II
Interleukin-13 inhibitor
idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis
TRALOKINUMABApproved
Interleukin-13 inhibitor
atopic eczema
Related Genes
CD8AProtein interaction100%CCL11Protein interaction100%CD36Protein interaction99%MAOAProtein interaction99%TGFAProtein interaction99%PTGDR2Protein interaction99%
Tissue Expression6 tissues
Bone Marrow
100%
Lung
11%
Ovary
9%
Brain
8%
Liver
2%
Heart
0%
Gene Interaction Network
Click a node to explore
IL13CD8ACCL11CD36MAOATGFAPTGDR2
PROTEIN STRUCTURE
Preparing viewer…
PDB3L5X · 1.90 Å · X-ray
View on RCSB ↗
Constraintⓘ
LOEUFⓘ
1.36LoF Tolerant
pLIⓘ
0.00Tolerant
Observed/Expected LoF0.76 [0.44–1.36]
RankingsWhere IL13 stands among ~20K protein-coding genes
  • #283of 20,598
    Most Researched739 · top 5%
  • #503of 1,025
    FDA-Approved Drug Targets2
  • #14,232of 17,882
    Most Constrained (LOEUF)1.36
Genes detectedIL13
Sources retrieved50 papers
Response time—
📄 Sources
50▼
1
Cellular metabolism and macrophage functional polarization.
PMID: 25340307
Int Rev Immunol · 2015
1.00
2
Epithelial miR-141 regulates IL-13-induced airway mucus production.
PMID: 33682796
JCI Insight · 2021
0.90
3
Targeting IL-13 and IL-4 in Asthma: Therapeutic Implications on Airway Remodeling in Severe Asthma.
PMID: 40257546
Clin Rev Allergy Immunol · 2025
0.80
4
The interleukin-4/interleukin-13 pathway in type 2 inflammation in chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps.
PMID: 38690264
Front Immunol · 2024
0.80
5
The association between IL18, FOXP3 and IL13 genes polymorphisms and risk of allergic rhinitis: a meta-analysis.
PMID: 32529476
Inflamm Res · 2020
0.78