Description
Interleukin-4, is a cytokine that induces differentiation of naive helper T cells (Th0 cells to Th2 cells).
In the presence of IL-4 and IL-13, cytokines that are produced in a Th-2 type response, particularly during allergy and parasitic infections, macrophages become differentially activated, And this cytokine is a ligand for interleukin 4 receptor.
The interleukin 4 receptor also binds to IL13, which may contribute to many overlapping functions of this cytokine and IL13.
STAT6, a signal transducer and activator of transcription, has been shown to play a central role in mediating the immune regulatory signal of this cytokine.
Recently, researcher found that the cytokine IL-4 plays a key role in development of innate CD8+ T cells in the thymus of several gene-deficient mouse strains, including Itk, KLF2, CBP and Id3, without previous exposure to antigen