Soluble cytokine receptors play key roles in regulating cytokine-mediated biological events
by binding and modulating the activity of target ligands in either an antagonistic or agonistic
fashion. This Minireview will provide an overview of the molecular mechanisms mediating
the generation of soluble cytokine receptors, which include sheddase-mediated proteolytic
cleavage of cell-surface receptors, generation of soluble receptors by alternative gene
splicing, transcription and translation of cytokine-binding genes, and extracellular release of …