Definition
IL-6; Is a member of a family of cytokines that includes leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF), ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF), oncostatin M (OSM), IL-11, and cardiotrophin-1 (CT-1). These cytokines are functionally redundant and structurally similar. They also share receptor subunit for signal transduction, and thus elicit similar and overlapping physiological responses. IL-6 is a multifunctional cytokine. In addition to its important roles in the immune response, inflammation, and hematopoiesis, IL-6 is also involved in other important physiological processes such as promotion of osteoclast resorption of bone and regulation of the growth of many tumor cells.
Characteristics
The human IL-6gene was cloned in 1986. It contains five exons in its 5 kb genomic DNA, which is mapped to human chromosome 7p21–p14. IL-6 is first synthesized as a precursor protein of...
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References
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© 2011 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
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Chen, T. (2011). Interleukin-6. In: Schwab, M. (eds) Encyclopedia of Cancer. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-16483-5_3099
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-16483-5_3099
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