Description
The protein encoded by this gene is a secreted cytokine that is important for the proliferation of T and Blymphocytes. The receptor of this cytokine is a heterotrimeric protein complex whose gamma chain is also sharedby interleukin 4 (IL4) and interleukin 7 (IL7). The expression of this gene in mature thymocytes is monoallelic,which represents an unusual regulatory mode for controlling the precise expression of a single gene. The targeteddisruption of a similar gene in mice leads to ulcerative colitis-like disease, which suggests an essential roleof this gene in the immune response to antigenic stimuli