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[edit | edit source]

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[edit | edit source]

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[edit | edit source]

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.

References[edit | edit source]

Interleukin-3 Resources
Need Help Finding a Doctor? Need help finding a doctor or specialist anywhere in the world? Explore our world directory. WikiMD's DocFinder can assist you in locating millions of physicians.	Medical Knowledge Access the latest research - Most recent articles Ongoing trials.