Description
Recombinant Mouse IL-12 p80 is an 80.0 kDa disulfide linked homodimeric cytokine consisting of two p40 chains of IL-12. IL-12 is a disulfide-linked heterodimeric protein (p70), composed of two subunits, p35 and p40, which are encoded by two different genes. It is thought that p40 secretion precedes that of IL-12 expression. p40 has the ability to covalently bind to either p35 or p40 to form IL-12 and IL-23, respectively. Additionally, p40 can form the homodimer designated IL-12 p80. Macrophage recruitment and increased inflammation in asthma and respiratory viral infection models are correlated with elevated levels of IL-12 p80. Furthermore, IL-12 is involved in the differentiation of naive T cells into Th1 cells, which is important in resistance against pathogens. It is known as a T cell stimulating factor, which can stimulate the growth and function of T cells. It stimulates the production of IFN-γ and TNF-α from T and natural killer (NK) cells, and reduces IL-4 mediated suppression of IFN-γ. IL-12 also has anti-angiogenic activity, which can block the formation of new blood vessels