May play a role in local mechanisms of mucosal immunity and seems to have a proinflammatory function. May play a role in inflammatory bowel disease. Activates STAT1 and STAT3, MAPK1/3 (ERK1/2), JUN and AKT. Induces expression of SOCS3, TNF-alpha and IL-8, secretion of IL-8 and IL-10 and surface expression of ICAM1. Decreases proliferation of intestinal epithelial cells. Is inhibited by heparin.
Ohnuma, Hatano, Aune, Otsuka, Iwata, Dang, Yamada, Morimoto: "Regulation of pulmonary graft-versus-host disease by IL-26+CD26+CD4 T lymphocytes." in: Journal of immunology (Baltimore, Md. : 1950), Vol. 194, Issue 8, pp. 3697-712, (2015) (PubMed).
Anuradha, George, Hanna, Kumaran, Chandrasekaran, Nutman, Babu: "Expansion of parasite-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cells expressing IL-10 superfamily cytokine members and their regulation in human lymphatic filariasis." in: PLoS neglected tropical diseases, Vol. 8, Issue 4, pp. e2762, (2014) (PubMed).