Cytokine and Cytokine Receptor Pleiotropy and Redundancy

Cytokine and cytokine receptor pleiotropy and redundancy.

Cytokines represent a diverse group of molecules that collectively exert a wide range of actions (1). The term cytokine is rather general, technically referring to a molecule made by one cell that acts on another, but cytokines are primarily growth factors and hormones of the immune and hematopoietic systems. The term broadly encompasses many of the interleukins and colony-stimulating factors (...

Cytokine and Cytokine Receptor

Cytokines represent a diverse group of molecules that collectively exert a wide range of actions (1). The term cytokine is rather general, technically referring to a molecule made by one cell that acts on another, but cytokines are primarily growth factors and hormones of the immune and hematopoietic systems. The term broadly encompasses many of the interleukins and colony-stimulating factors (...

Molecular and Structural Basis of Cytokine Receptor Pleiotropy in the Interleukin-4/13 System

Interleukin-4 and Interleukin-13 are cytokines critical to the development of T cell-mediated humoral immune responses, which are associated with allergy and asthma, and exert their actions through three different combinations of shared receptors. Here we present the crystal structures of the complete set of type I (IL-4R alpha/gamma(c)/IL-4) and type II (IL-4R alpha/IL-13R alpha1/IL-4, IL-4R a...

Th1 and Th2 Cytokine Profiles in Malignant Pleural Effusion

Background: The alteration of Th1 and Th2 cytokine levels is the subject of controversy in pleural effusions caused by malignancy, a situation that favors a Th2 immune response. Objective: To examine the different levels of IL-4 and IL-10 (Th2 cytokines), and IL-2 and interferon-γ (IFN-γ) (Th1 cytokines) in malignant and non-malignant pleural effusions. Method: The cytokine levels in pleural fl...

The Cytokine Midkine and Its Receptor