General description
IL-6 (interleukin 6) signals through the IL-6 receptor system that consists of two chains, IL-6Rα and gp130 (membrane glycoprotein 130). The gene IL-6 is mapped to human chromosome 7p15.3. Murine IL-6 is inactive on human cells, while both human and murine are equally active on murine cells. Recombinant human IL-6 is a 20.9kDa protein containing 184 amino acid residues.
Application
IL-6 human has been used for STAT3 (signal transducer and activator of transcription 3) activation. It has also been used as a standard for detection of IL-6 in Ben-Men-I cells (human WHO grade I meningioma derived, hTERT immortalized cells).
Biochem/physiol Actions
IL-6 (interleukin 6) is a pleiotropic cytokine that plays an important role in host defense by regulating immune and inflammatory responses. Produced by T cells, monocytes, fibroblasts, endothelial cells and keratinocytes, IL-6 has diverse biological functions. It stimulates B-cell differentiation and antibody production, synergizes with IL-3 in megakaryocyte development and platelet production, induces expression of hepatic acute-phase proteins, and regulates bone metabolism. IL-6 is associated with various autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. High levels of IL-6 are present in the synovial fluid from rheumatoid arthritis patients. It is also linked with chronic inflammatory proliferative disease and B cell malignancy, Castleman′s disease, and plasmacytoma/multiple myeloma.
Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a multifunctional protein originally discovered in the media of cells stimulated with double stranded RNA. IL-6 appears to be directly involved in the responses that occur after infection and injury and may prove to be as important as IL-1 and TNF-α in regulating the acute phase response. IL-6 is reported to be produced by fibroblasts, activated T cells, activated monocytes or macrophages, and endothelial cells. It acts upon a variety of cells, including fibroblasts, myeloid progenitor cells, T cells, B cells and hepatocytes. IL-6 induces multiple effects, as indicated by its numerous synonyms: plasmacytoma growth factor (PCT-GF), interferon-β-2 (IFN-β2), monocyte derived human B cell growth factor, B cell stimulating factor (BSF-2), hepatocyte stimulating factor (HSF), Interleukin Hybridoma/Plasmacytoma-1 (IL-HP1). In addition, IL-6 appears to interact with IL-2 in the proliferation of T lymphocytes. IL-6 also potentiates the proliferative effect of IL-3 on multipotential hematopoietic progenitors.
Reconstitution
Centrifuge the vial prior to opening. Reconstitute in water to a concentration of 0.1-0.5 mg/ml. Do not vortex. This solution can be stored at 2-8°C for up to 1 week. For extended storage, it is recommended to further dilute in a buffer containing a stabilizer (example 5% Trehalose) and store in working aliquots at -20°C to -80°C.