Description
Interleukin-5 (IL-5), also known as eosinophil differentiation factor (EDF), is a lineage-specific cytokine for eosinophilpoiesis. It regulates eosinophil growth and activation, and thus plays an important role in diseases associated with increased levels of eosinophils, including asthma. IL-5 has a similar overall fold to other cytokines (e.g. IL-2, IL-4 and GCSF), but while these exist as monomeric structures, IL-5 is a homodimer. Recombinant human IL-5 produced in E. coli is a dimeric, non-glycosylated polypeptide containing two 113 amino acids chains with a molecular mass of 26,523 Dalton