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Protein / target

Interleukin-11

Encoded byIL11P20809Homo sapiensSwiss-Prot
UniProt: P20809Ensembl: ENSG00000095752HGNC: HGNC:5966NCBI Gene: 3589
Small-molecule tractable
Druggability
Structure with Ligand
2
Research papers

Protein at a glance

Biological role

Interleukin-11 receptor binding

Strongest disease association

Osteoarthritis, Hip

Via encoding gene IL11 · Genetic evidence · score 0.56

Research activity

Emerging research

2 papers · latest 2024

Derived from structured UniProt, Open Targets and literature data on this page.

Protein profile

UniProt 2026_02

Canonical identity and biological annotation from UniProt.

Function overview

Cytokine that stimulates the proliferation of hematopoietic stem cells and megakaryocyte progenitor cells and induces megakaryocyte maturation resulting in increased platelet production.

View complete UniProt function annotation

Cytokine that stimulates the proliferation of hematopoietic stem cells and megakaryocyte progenitor cells and induces megakaryocyte maturation resulting in increased platelet production (PubMed:2145578). Also promotes the proliferation of hepatocytes in response to liver damage. Binding to its receptor formed by IL6ST and IL11RA activates a signaling cascade that promotes cell proliferation (PubMed:12919066). Signaling leads to the activation of intracellular protein kinases and the phosphorylation of STAT3. The interaction with the membrane-bound IL11RA and IL6ST stimulates 'classic signaling', whereas the binding of IL11 and soluble IL11RA to IL6ST stimulates 'trans-signaling' (PubMed:30279168)

Subcellular location

Secreted
Domains and Gene Ontology detail (18)

Gene Ontology

  • Ccytoplasm
  • Cextracellular region
  • Cextracellular space
  • Fcytokine activity
  • Fgrowth factor activity
  • Finterleukin-11 receptor binding
  • PB cell differentiation
  • Pfat cell differentiation
  • Pinterleukin-11-mediated signaling pathway
  • Pmegakaryocyte differentiation
  • Pnegative regulation of cytokine activity
  • Pnegative regulation of cytokine-mediated signaling pathway

199 aa · 21 kDa · 2 isoforms

Biological roles

What this protein does, drawn together from its UniProt function, Gene Ontology terms and Reactome pathways.

Cell proliferation & survivalGOImmune signallingUniProt · GO
View supporting evidence

Cell proliferation & survival

  • ·positive regulation of cell population proliferation

Immune signalling

  • ·Cytokine that stimulates the proliferation of hematopoietic stem cells and megakaryocyte…
  • ·cytokine activity
  • ·interleukin-11 receptor binding
  • ·B cell differentiation

Concepts derived from UniProt GO Reactome — each badge above shows which sources supported that role.

Translational evidence

Open Targets 26

Why this target matters therapeutically, strongest evidence first. Disease associations are gene-level (via the gene that encodes this protein) and open into the full confidence synthesis; the development universe, tractability and safety annotations are target-level, from Open Targets.

Strongest disease associations · via encoding gene IL11

Gene-level evidence surfaced through the gene IL11that encodes this protein — not a direct protein–disease relationship. Ranked by Forefront's causal-directness weighting, so genetically- and clinically-evidenced diseases lead over ones that merely share the literature.

Osteoarthritis
0.57Moderately supported

Genetic evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.34

Osteoarthritis, Hip
0.56Moderately supported

Genetic evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.34

Joint Diseases
0.38Limited support

Genetic evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.23

Neoplasms
0.14Preliminary

Literature evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.12 · no direct causal or clinical evidence

Breast Neoplasms
0.14Preliminary

Literature evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.11 · no direct causal or clinical evidence

View evidence synthesis (5)
OsteoarthritisModerately supported
0.57
agreement 0.43–0.71
Genetic96%Literature4%

Open Targets aggregate 0.34 · 2 independent evidence families

Osteoarthritis, HipModerately supported
0.56
agreement 0.42–0.70
Genetic99%Literature1%

Open Targets aggregate 0.34 · 2 independent evidence families

Joint DiseasesLimited support
0.38
agreement 0.24–0.52
Genetic98%Literature3%

Open Targets aggregate 0.23 · 2 independent evidence families

NeoplasmsPreliminary
0.14
agreement 0.00–0.42
Literature100%

Open Targets aggregate 0.12 · 1 independent evidence family · no direct causal or clinical evidence

Breast NeoplasmsPreliminary
0.14
agreement 0.00–0.41
Literature100%

Open Targets aggregate 0.11 · 1 independent evidence family · no direct causal or clinical evidence

The evidence agreement range shows how closely the independent evidence families agree — it is not a statistical confidence interval, and nothing here is fitted to outcome data. Derived from Open Targets evidence types under Forefront weighting; the per-type scores above show the calculation.

Show all associations
Osteoarthritis0.34
Osteoarthritis, Hip0.34
Joint Diseases0.23
Neoplasms0.12
Breast Neoplasms0.11

Tractability

Small molecules — Emerging

Feasibility evidence (structure with ligand) — no clinical-stage drug of this modality recorded.

Antibodies — Emerging

Feasibility evidence (uniprot loc high conf and go cc high conf) — no clinical-stage drug of this modality recorded.

View underlying tractability evidence (4)
SM · Structure with LigandAB · UniProt loc high confAB · GO CC high confAB · UniProt SigP or TMHMM

Raw Open Targets tractability assessment buckets, by modality.

Research activity

2 papers · to 2024

Papers linked directly to this protein. This is the protein's own literature — descriptor-derived papers are kept separate below.

Most cited

ALKBH5-mediated m6A modification of IL-11 drives macrophage-to-myofibroblast transition and pathological cardiac fibrosis in mice.85 cites

Zhuang T · Nature communications · 2024

Understanding interleukin 11 as a disease gene and therapeutic target.39 cites

Cook SA · The Biochemical journal · 2023

Recent

ALKBH5-mediated m6A modification of IL-11 drives macrophage-to-myofibroblast transition and pathological cardiac fibrosis in mice.

Zhuang T · Nature communications · 2024

Understanding interleukin 11 as a disease gene and therapeutic target.

Cook SA · The Biochemical journal · 2023

Europe PMC papers linked directly to this protein.