Soluble interleukin-20 receptor

Abstract

A soluble receptor to IL-20 having two polypeptide subunits, IL-20RA (formerly called ZcytoR7) and IL-20RB (formerly called DIRS1). The two subunits are preferably linked together. In one embodiment one subunit is fused to the constant region of the light chain of an immunoglobulin, and the other subunit is fused to the constant region of the heavy chain of the immunoglobulin. The light chain and the heavy chain are connected via a disulfide bond.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of treating an inflammatory disease in a subject in need thereof, comprising:
 administering to the subject an effective amount of an antibody that specifically binds to an IL-20 receptor comprising an IL-20RA subunit and an IL-20RB subunit, wherein the IL-20A subunit comprises a polypeptide having the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 11 and the IL-20RB subunit comprises a polypeptide having the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 14.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the antibody is a monoclonal antibody. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the antibody is a human antibody. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the antibody is a humanized antibody. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the antibody is an antigen-binding fragment. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the inflammatory disease is an inflammatory skin disease. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the inflammatory skin disease is chosen from psoriasis, eczema, atopic dermatitis, and contact dermatitis. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the inflammatory skin disease is psoriasis. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the inflammatory disease is chosen from an inflammatory lung disease, rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the inflammatory lung disease is chosen from asthma, bronchitis, and cystic fibrosis. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the inflammatory disease is rheumatoid arthritis. 
     
     
         12 . A method of treating an inflammatory disease in a subject in need thereof, comprising:
 administering to the subject an effective amount of an antibody that specifically binds to an IL-20 receptor comprising an IL-20RA subunit and an IL-20RB subunit, wherein the IL-20A subunit comprises a polypeptide having the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 12 and the IL-20RB subunit comprises a polypeptide having the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 15.   
     
     
         13 . A method of treating an inflammatory disease in a subject in need thereof, comprising:
 administering to the subject an effective amount of an antibody that specifically binds to an IL-20 receptor comprising an IL-20RA subunit and an IL-20RB subunit, wherein the IL-20A subunit comprises a polypeptide having the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 55 and the IL-20RB subunit comprises a polypeptide having the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 59.