Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39891018›Full record

ArticleNature immunology2025

Short IL-18 generated by caspase-3 cleavage mobilizes NK cells to suppress tumor growth.

Junchen Shen, Yu Zhang, Wenbo Tang, Mingxia Yang, Tong Cheng, Yihui Chen, Shi Yu, Qiuhong Guo, Limin Cao, Xun Wang and 5 more

Erratum issuedAbstract read
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Nature immunology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 21 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
21citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

21 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Review
  5. Article
  6. The Roles of Interleukin-18 in Inflammation and Autoimmune Disease.Clinical reviews in allergy & immunology · 2026
    Review
  7. IL-18-Mediated Tumor Immune Evasion.Current issues in molecular biology · 2026
    Review
  8. Review
  9. Review
  10. Review
  11. Review
  12. Article
  13. Article
  14. IL-1 family cytokines in inflammation and immunity.Cellular & molecular immunology · 2025
    Review
  15. Article
  16. Article
  17. Review
  18. Article
  19. Review
  20. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

15 authors.

Junchen Shen *The Center for Microbes, Development and Health, National Key Laboratory of Immune Response and Immunotherapy, Shanghai Institute of Immunity and Infection, Chinese Academy of Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1487-5994
Yu Zhang *The Center for Microbes, Development and Health, National Key Laboratory of Immune Response and Immunotherapy, Shanghai Institute of Immunity and Infection, Chinese Academy of Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0005-4827-3619
Wenbo Tang *Department of Colorectal and Anal Surgery, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
Mingxia YangThe Center for Microbes, Development and Health, National Key Laboratory of Immune Response and Immunotherapy, Shanghai Institute of Immunity and Infection, Chinese Academy of Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.
Tong ChengThe Center for Microbes, Development and Health, National Key Laboratory of Immune Response and Immunotherapy, Shanghai Institute of Immunity and Infection, Chinese Academy of Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.
Yihui ChenThe Center for Microbes, Development and Health, National Key Laboratory of Immune Response and Immunotherapy, Shanghai Institute of Immunity and Infection, Chinese Academy of Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.
Shi YuThe Center for Microbes, Development and Health, National Key Laboratory of Immune Response and Immunotherapy, Shanghai Institute of Immunity and Infection, Chinese Academy of Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0651-4769
Qiuhong GuoThe Center for Microbes, Development and Health, National Key Laboratory of Immune Response and Immunotherapy, Shanghai Institute of Immunity and Infection, Chinese Academy of Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.
Limin CaoThe Center for Microbes, Development and Health, National Key Laboratory of Immune Response and Immunotherapy, Shanghai Institute of Immunity and Infection, Chinese Academy of Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.
Xun WangShanghai Blood Center, Shanghai, China.
Hui XiaoThe Center for Microbes, Development and Health, National Key Laboratory of Immune Response and Immunotherapy, Shanghai Institute of Immunity and Infection, Chinese Academy of Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.
Lanfeng WangThe Center for Microbes, Development and Health, National Key Laboratory of Immune Response and Immunotherapy, Shanghai Institute of Immunity and Infection, Chinese Academy of Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.
Chengyuan WangThe Center for Microbes, Development and Health, National Key Laboratory of Immune Response and Immunotherapy, Shanghai Institute of Immunity and Infection, Chinese Academy of Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.
Chen-Ying LiuDepartment of Colorectal and Anal Surgery, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China. liuchenying@xinhuamed.com.cn.
Guangxun MengThe Center for Microbes, Development and Health, National Key Laboratory of Immune Response and Immunotherapy, Shanghai Institute of Immunity and Infection, Chinese Academy of Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China. gxmeng@ips.ac.cn.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4634-4661

Funding

Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) XDB0940102Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology | Department of S and T for Social Development (Department of S&T for Social Development) 2022YFC2303200National Natural Science Foundation of China (National Science Foundation of China) 92269202Shanghai Science and Technology Development Foundation (Shanghai Science and Technology Development Fund) 2019SHZDZX02
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Interleukin (IL)-18 functions primarily through its 18-kDa mature form produced from caspase-1 cleavage. However, IL-18 can also be processed by other proteases, leading to the generation of different fragments with less recognized functions. Here, we discover that, in cancer cells, caspase-3 cleavage of IL-18 generates a 15-kDa form of IL-18, referred to as short IL-18. Unlike mature IL-18, short IL-18 is not secreted, and does not bind IL-18Rα; instead, it translocates into the nucleus, facilitating STAT1 phosphorylation at Ser

Indexed as

Caspase 3Colorectal NeoplasmsInterleukin-18Killer Cells, NaturalAnimalsCell Line, TumorColitisHumansMiceMice, Inbred C57BLPhosphorylationSignal TransductionSTAT1 Transcription FactorCaspase 3IL18 protein, humanInterleukin-18STAT1 Transcription Factor

Identifiers

PMID39891018

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.