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Protein / target

Interleukin-17F

Encoded byIL17FQ96PD4Homo sapiensSwiss-Prot
Clinically validated
Therapeutic maturity
1
Approved medicines
Open Targets target-level
View by indication →
30
Clinical trials
Small-molecule tractable
Druggability
Structure with Ligand

Protein at a glance

Biological role

Protein heterodimerization

Strongest disease association

Dermatitis, Seborrheic

Via encoding gene IL17F · Genetic evidence · score 0.72

Therapeutic position

Established drug target

Antibodies

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

Effector cytokine of innate and adaptive immune system involved in antimicrobial host defense and maintenance of tissue integrity.

View complete UniProt function annotation

Effector cytokine of innate and adaptive immune system involved in antimicrobial host defense and maintenance of tissue integrity (PubMed:21350122). IL17A-IL17F signals via IL17RA-IL17RC heterodimeric receptor complex, triggering homotypic interaction of IL17RA and IL17RC chains with TRAF3IP2 adapter through SEFIR domains. This leads to downstream TRAF6-mediated activation of NF-kappa-B and MAPkinase pathways ultimately resulting in transcriptional activation of cytokines, chemokines, antimicrobial peptides and matrix metalloproteinases, with potential strong immune inflammation (PubMed:11574464, PubMed:11591732, PubMed:11591768, PubMed:17911633, PubMed:18684971, PubMed:21350122, PubMed:28827714). IL17A-IL17F is primarily involved in host defense against extracellular bacteria and fungi by inducing neutrophilic inflammation (By similarity). As signature effector cytokine of T-helper 17 cells (Th17), primarily induces neutrophil activation and recruitment at infection and inflammatory sites (By similarity). Stimulates the production of antimicrobial beta-defensins DEFB1, DEFB103A, and DEFB104A by mucosal epithelial cells, limiting the entry of microbes through the epithelial barriers (By similarity). IL17F homodimer can signal via IL17RC homodimeric receptor complex, triggering downstream activation of TRAF6 and NF-kappa-B signaling pathway (PubMed:32187518). Via IL17RC induces transcriptional activation of IL33, a potent cytokine that stimulates group 2 innate lymphoid cells and adaptive T-helper 2 cells involved in pulmonary allergic response to fungi. Likely via IL17RC, promotes sympathetic innervation of peripheral organs by coordinating the communication between gamma-delta T cells and parenchymal cells. Stimulates sympathetic innervation of thermogenic adipose tissue by driving TGFB1 expression (By similarity). Regulates the composition of intestinal microbiota and immune tolerance by inducing antimicrobial proteins that specifically control the growth of commensal Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes (By similarity)

Subcellular location

Secreted
Domains and Gene Ontology detail (27)

Gene Ontology

  • Cextracellular region
  • Cextracellular space
  • Cplasma membrane
  • Fcytokine activity
  • Fcytokine binding
  • Fcytokine receptor binding
  • Fprotein heterodimerization activity
  • Fprotein homodimerization activity
  • Pcartilage development
  • Pdefense response to Gram-negative bacterium
  • Pdefense response to Gram-positive bacterium
  • Pinflammatory response

163 aa · 18 kDa

Biological roles

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

Immune signallingUniProt · GO
View supporting evidence

Immune signalling

  • ·Effector cytokine of innate and adaptive immune system involved in antimicrobial host de…
  • ·cytokine activity
  • ·cytokine binding
  • ·cytokine receptor binding

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

Approved medicines with mapped indications

1 medicine · 2 areas

Approved therapies targeting this protein, grouped by what they are approved to treat — the disease-first view of the medicines below. Relationships come from the canonical approved-indication graph (ChEMBL phase-4), the same source as the drug cards.

Immune System Diseases1 medicine
Psoriasis1 medicine

Approved indications from ChEMBL (phase-4), via the canonical drug→disease graph.

Drugs targeting this protein

1

How approved and investigational drugs engage this protein — mechanism and action type, direct vs complex targeting, and how broadly each acts across other targets. A drug-first view (the section above groups the approved ones disease-first); direct binders with few recorded targets are listed first.

bimekizumab
Narrow target profileApprovedInhibitor

Interleukin-17F inhibitor

Indicated for Immune System Diseases, Psoriasis

Direct interaction with this protein · 1 of 2 recorded protein targets — narrow recorded profile

ChEMBL mechanism, action type, target identity and approved indications. Open Targets clinical status.

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 IL17F

Gene-level evidence surfaced through the gene IL17Fthat 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.

Psoriasis
0.72Moderately supported

Clinical evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.57

Dermatitis, Seborrheic
0.72Moderately supported

Genetic evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.44

Erythematosquamous dermatosis
0.72Moderately supported

Genetic evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.44

Psoriasis vulgaris
0.64Moderately supported

Clinical evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.52

Arthritis, Psoriatic
0.50Moderately supported

Clinical evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.40

View evidence synthesis (5)
PsoriasisModerately supported
0.72
agreement 0.590.86
Clinical79%Literature13%RNA expression9%

Open Targets aggregate 0.57 · 3 independent evidence families

Dermatitis, SeborrheicModerately supported
0.72
agreement 0.600.84
Genetic100%

Open Targets aggregate 0.44 · 1 independent evidence family

Erythematosquamous dermatosisModerately supported
0.72
agreement 0.600.84
Genetic100%

Open Targets aggregate 0.44 · 1 independent evidence family

Psoriasis vulgarisModerately supported
0.64
agreement 0.490.80
Clinical96%Literature4%

Open Targets aggregate 0.52 · 2 independent evidence families

Arthritis, PsoriaticModerately supported
0.50
agreement 0.350.66
Clinical95%Literature5%

Open Targets aggregate 0.40 · 2 independent evidence families

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
Psoriasis0.57
Psoriasis vulgaris0.52
Dermatitis, Seborrheic0.44
Erythematosquamous dermatosis0.44
Arthritis, Psoriatic0.40
Hidradenitis Suppurativa0.40
Immune System Diseases0.37

Drug development

2 compounds recorded · 1 approved · 1 in clinical development

Open Targets' development universe — every compound recorded against the target at any stage, not all approved medicines. Distinct from the 1 drug that targets this protein in Forefront's canonical graph (1 with a mapped approved indication, shown above): these count different sets and are not a subset relation.

View all recorded compounds (2)
BIMEKIZUMABApproval
M-1095Phase 3

Open Targets known-drugs universe. Drug name and highest clinical stage only — the disease relationship is NOT read from this slice (it carries trial-context noise); approved indications come from the canonical graph above.

Tractability

Small moleculesEmerging

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

AntibodiesStrong

Approved Drug and GO CC high conf support this modality.

Other modalitiesStrong

Advanced Clinical support this modality.

View underlying tractability evidence (6)
SM · Structure with LigandAB · Approved DrugAB · GO CC high confAB · UniProt loc med confAB · UniProt SigP or TMHMMOC · Advanced Clinical

Raw Open Targets tractability assessment buckets, by modality.

Clinical trials

30

Trials of drugs that target this protein — reached indirectly through those drugs, so a trial listed here studies the drug, not the protein. Ranked by active status, then clinical phase and recency, and spread across the targeting drugs.

View all trials (26)

ClinicalTrials.gov via the drug-target graph.

What's happening now

12

Recent therapeutic activity around this target — regulatory actions, clinical trials and safety signals for a drug that targets this protein, plus publications where such a drug is a genuine subject. Every item is reached indirectly through the drug, not the protein itself; incidental mentions (a paper that merely measures a drug) and press items are excluded.

  1. Trial status changed2026-08-07

    A Multicenter, Randomized, Parallel-Group, Double-Blind, Active-Controlled Study to Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of Bimekizumab Compared to Ustekinumab in Children and Adolescents From 6 Years to Less Than 18 Years of Age With Moderate to Severe Plaque Psoriasis

    Status changed to Active, not recruiting · ClinicalTrials.gov · via bimekizumab

  2. New publication2026-05-01
    Bimekizumab safety and efficacy in patients with psoriatic arthritis: 3-year results from two phase 3 studies.

    Rheumatology (Oxford, England) · 2026 · Europe PMC · via bimekizumab

  3. New publication2026-03-09
    Bimekizumab efficacy in scalp, nail and palmoplantar psoriasis versus comparators and over 4 years.

    The Journal of dermatological treatment · 2026 · Europe PMC · via bimekizumab

  4. New publication2026-02-12
    Bimekizumab efficacy and safety in Chinese patients with psoriasis in the BE SHINING Phase 3 study.

    Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology : JEADV · 2026 · 1 citation · Europe PMC · via bimekizumab

  5. New publication2025-11-15
    Bimekizumab demonstrated a favorable safety profile and high levels of efficacy with up to 2 years of treatment in patients with moderate to severe hidradenitis suppurativa: Pooled results from two phase 3 randomized, controlled trials and their open-label extension.

    Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology · 2026 · 1 citation · Europe PMC · via bimekizumab

  6. New publication2025-10-22
    Sustained resolution of enthesitis and peripheral arthritis over 104 weeks with bimekizumab in axial spondyloarthritis.

    RMD open · 2025 · 2 citations · Europe PMC · via bimekizumab

  7. New publication2025-06-01
    Psychometric validation and interpretation thresholds of the Hidradenitis Suppurativa Quality of Life (HiSQOL©) questionnaire using pooled data from the phase III BE HEARD I & II trials of bimekizumab in hidradenitis suppurativa.

    The British journal of dermatology · 2025 · 1 citation · Europe PMC · via bimekizumab

  8. New publication2024-09-27
    Bimekizumab efficacy and safety in Korean patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis: A phase 3, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blinded study.

    The Journal of dermatology · 2024 · 1 citation · Europe PMC · via bimekizumab

  9. New publication2024-09-01
    Effect of bimekizumab on patient-reported disease impact in patients with psoriatic arthritis: 1-year results from two phase 3 studies.

    Rheumatology (Oxford, England) · 2024 · 6 citations · Europe PMC · via bimekizumab

  10. New publication2024-06-04
    Improved physical functioning, sleep, work productivity and overall health-related quality of life with bimekizumab in patients with axial spondyloarthritis: results from two phase 3 studies.

    RMD open · 2024 · 7 citations · Europe PMC · via bimekizumab

  11. New publication2024-04-06
    Bimekizumab safety in moderate to severe plaque psoriasis: Rates of hepatic events and changes in liver parameters over 2 years in randomized phase 3/3b trials.

    Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology · 2024 · 3 citations · Europe PMC · via bimekizumab

  12. Regulatory approval2021-08-20

    Approval: Bimzelx (EMA)

    ema · regulatory · ema · via bimekizumab

Objective event titles are shown unmodified; the event kind and significance line are derived from structured fields. Forefront AttentionEvent stream aggregating Europe PMC Regulatory filings ClinicalTrials.gov.