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The IL-1 family comprises 11 cytokines, consisting of 7 ligands with agonist activity (IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-18, IL-33, IL-36α, IL-36β, and IL-36γ) and 4 members with antagonist activity [IL-1 Receptor Antagonist (IL-1Ra), IL-36Ra, IL-37, and IL-38]. IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-18, IL-33, IL-36α, IL-36β, and IL-36γ trigger the activation of MKKs and NF-κB, thereby inducing an inflammatory response.

Upon its release, mature IL-18 initiates signal transduction primarily by binding to receptor complexes located on the surface of target cells. It first binds to the IL-18 receptor α-chain (IL-18Rα) and subsequently recruits the IL-18 receptor β-chain (IL-18Rβ) to form a heterotrimeric complex; this process predominantly occurs in immune cells, such as T cells and NK cells. By recruiting the adaptor protein MyD88, this complex ultimately activates key signaling pathways—such as NF-κB and MAPK—thereby inducing the expression of inflammation-related genes. To prevent excessive inflammatory responses, the human body possesses a highly efficient "braking" system: the IL-18 binding protein (IL-18BP). This protein captures free IL-18 with extremely high affinity, thereby blocking its binding to receptors and precisely regulating the biological activity of IL-18.

The IL-18 Effector Reporter Cell (Adherent) is a recombinant cell line that stably expresses human IL-18Rα and human IL-18Rβ, and in which a reporter gene is expressed under the control of specific regulatory elements.

The IL-18 Effector Reporter Cell (Adherent) reporter gene-based drug target model accurately mimics the in vivo signal transduction process of IL-18; the underlying principle is illustrated in the figure below.

Figure 1. Schematic Diagram of the IL18 Effector Reporter Cell(Adherent) Cell Model

Figure 2. Dose Response of Recombinant Human IL18 in IL18 Effector Reporter Cell(Adherent, C1).

Cell Resuscitation
1)Rapidly thaw the frozen cells in a 37 °C water bath for approximately 60 seconds. Once thawed (which may take slightly less or more than 60 seconds), immediately transfer the cell suspension from the cryovial into a 15 mL centrifuge tube containing 10 mL of pre-warmed  IL18 Effector Reporter Cell(Adherent) Cell complete culture medium.
2)Centrifuge cells at 1000 rpm for 5 min to remove medium, then resuspend cells in 5 mL of pre-warmed complete medium.
3)Transfer the cell suspension into a T25 culture flask and incubate at 37 °C with 5% CO₂.
4)After approximately 24–36 hours, replace the medium or passage the cells to remove non-adherent dead cells.

Subculturing procedure
1)When the cell density reaches the appropriate confluency for passaging, wash the cells with PBS, then add 1 mL trypsin to detach the cells. When more than 80% of the cells detach upon gently tapping the culture flask, add complete culture medium to terminate digestion. Gently pipette to obtain a single-cell suspension, transfer to a 15 mL centrifuge tube, and centrifuge at 1000 rpm for 5 minutes.

2)Discard supernatant after centrifugation. Resuspend cells in fresh medium to a single-cell suspension and transfer to a new culture flask for continued growth.

Cell Freezing
After trypsinization and centrifugation of cells from each T75 flask or 10 cm culture dish, discard the supernatant. Add 2 mL of cryopreservation medium (90% FBS + 10% DMSO), gently resuspend thoroughly, and aliquot into two cryovials. Immediately place the cryovials into a controlled-rate freezing container (e.g., Nalgene 5100-0001), fill with isopropanol to the indicated level, and store at −80 °C. After 24 hours, transfer the cryovials to liquid nitrogen for long-term storage.