Interleukin-3

Interleukin-3 (IL-3) is a type of biological response modifier that stimulates the growth and differentiation of hematopoietic cells, which are cells in the bloodstream. It is a type of cytokine.

Overview

Interleukin-3 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the IL3 gene. This gene encodes a protein that is a potent growth promoting cytokine. This cytokine is capable of supporting the proliferation of a broad range of hematopoietic cell types. It is involved in a variety of cell activities such as cell growth, differentiation and apoptosis. This cytokine has been shown to also possess neurotrophic activity, and it may be associated with neurologic disorders.

Function

Interleukin-3 stimulates the differentiation of multipotent hematopoietic stem cells into myeloid progenitor cells or, with the addition of Interleukin-7, into lymphoid progenitor cells. It is also a growth factor for pluripotent stem cells, early erythroid progenitors, granulocyte progenitors (CFU-G), monocyte progenitors (CFU-M), eosinophil progenitors (CFU-Eo), megakaryocyte progenitors (CFU-Meg) and mast cell progenitors.

Clinical Significance

Interleukin-3 has potential clinical applications in boosting the immune system in patients undergoing chemotherapy, treating certain types of cancer, and treating conditions that result in a low blood cell count. It is also being studied in the treatment of other conditions and types of cancer.

See Also

• Interleukin
• Hematopoietic stem cell
• Cytokine
• Biological response modifier

References

Interleukin-3 Resources
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