Interleukin-4 (IL-4), also known as B cell-stimulatory factor-1, is a monomeric, approximately 13 kDa-18 kDa Th2 cytokine that shows pleiotropic effects during immune responses. It is a glycosylated polypeptide that contains three intrachain disulfide bridges and adopts a bundled four alpha -helix structure. Human, mouse, and rat IL-4 are species-specific in their activities. IL-4 exerts its effects through two receptor complexes. The type I receptor is expressed on hematopoietic cells, and the type II receptor on nonhematopoietic cells consists of IL 4 R alpha and IL 13 R alpha 1. It promotes cell proliferation, survival, and immunoglobulin class switch to IgG1 and IgE in mouse B cells, and plays a dominant role in the development of allergic inflammation and asthma (1-5).
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