The protein encoded by this gene is a T cell-derived cytokine that shares sequence similarity with IL17. This cytokine was reported to stimulate the release of TNF alpha (TNF) and IL1 beta (IL1B) from a monocytic cell line. Immunohistochemical analysis of several nerve tissues indicated that this cytokine is primarily localized to neuronal cell bodies. Alternative splicing results in multiple splice variants. [provided by RefSeq, Dec 2015].