Alternative Names
IL-12; Interleukin 12; Interleukin-12 subunit alpha;IL-12A;Cytotoxic lymphocyte maturation factor 35 kDa subunit;CLMF p35;IL-12 subunit p35;Interleukin-12 subunit beta; IL-12B; Cytotoxic lymphocyte maturation factor 40 kDa subunit; CLMF p40; IL-12 subunit p40;
Background
Mouse IL-12 is a heterodimeric pleiotropic cytokine made up of a 40 kDa (p40) subunit and a 35 kDa (p35) subunit. Human and mouse IL‑12 share 70% and 60% amino acid sequence identity in their p40 and p35 subunits, respectively. While mouse IL‑12 is active on both human and mouse cells, human IL‑12 is not active on murine cells. It is involved in the differentiation of naive T cells into Th1 cells. It is known as a T cell-stimulating factor, which can stimulate the growth and function of T cells. It stimulates the production of interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) from T cells and natural killer (NK) cells, and reduces IL-4 mediated suppression of IFN-γ. T cells that produce IL-12 have a coreceptor, CD30, which is associated with IL-12 activity. IL-12 plays an important role in the activities of natural killer cells and T lymphocytes.IL-12 mediates enhancement of the cytotoxic activity of NK cells and CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes.
Note
For Research Use Only , Not for Diagnostic Use.