Description
Product Characteristics: IL-2 is a member of a family of cytokines, which also includes IL-4, IL-7, IL-9, IL-15 and IL-21. All members of this family signal through a receptor complex that includes the common gamma chain (γc). IL-2 signals through a receptor complex consisting of IL-2 specific IL-2 receptor alpha (CD25), IL-2 receptor beta (CD122) and the common gamma chain (γc). The main function of IL-2 is to promote the development of T regulatory cells. IL-2 is produced by several cell types including, B cells, γδ T cells, CD4+ T cells, CD8+ T cells, and eosinophils. It has been found to be similar to IL-15 in terms of function. Both IL-2 and IL-15 are able to facilitate production of immunoglobulins made by B cells and induce the differentiation and proliferation of natural killer cells. The primary differences between IL-2 and IL-15 are found in adaptive immune responses: IL-2 participates in maintenance of T-Regs and reduces self-reactive T cells while IL-15 is necessary for maintaining highly specific T cell responses by supporting survival of CD8 memory T cells.
Synonyms: Interleukin-2, IL-2, IL2, T-cell growth factor, TCGF, Aldesleukin, Lymphokine
Target Information: The protein encoded by this gene is a secreted cytokine that is important for the proliferation of T and B lymphocytes. The receptor of this cytokine is a heterotrimeric protein complex whose gamma chain is also shared by 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 targeted disruption of a similar gene in mice leads to ulcerative colitis-like disease, which suggests an essential role of this gene in the immune response to antigenic stimuli. [provided by RefSeq, Jul 2008]