Interleukin-11 receptor is an alternative α-receptor for interleukin-6 and the chimeric cytokine IC7

A year in the molecular life sciences: 2024 highlights

The FEBS Journal editorial team reviews the articles we published in 2024 and reflects on the year's highlights. The articles summarised here broadly cluster in three themes-molecular and cell biology across species, immunology, and cutting-edge methods-whilst still showcasing the diversity of the scientific fields the journal covers. We look forward to many more excellent articles in 2025 and hope these highlights will inspire you to submit your next manuscript to The FEBS Journal.

More and more pleiotropy within the IL-6 family of cytokines

Historically, cytokines belonging to the gp130 family bind to specific ligand-binding receptors that stimulate cell signaling through a receptor complex comprising gp130 or gp130 together with another structurally related signaling receptor. However, recent findings increasingly dispel these stereotypes and suggest that the receptor specificity of gp130-activating cytokines is less strict than originally assumed. Weitz et al. now provide the latest example of this pleiotropy and report that human interleukin-6 can bind and stimulate signaling via the interleukin-11 receptor. Possible biological and therapeutic consequences of these findings are discussed.