Scribd
Upload
503 views3 pages

Cytokines

Cytokines are low molecular weight proteins that function as chemical messengers regulating the innate and adaptive immune systems. They are produced by immune cells and act on other immune cells. Cytokines can be pleiotropic, redundant, and multifunctional. They fall into three categories: those regulating innate immunity, those regulating adaptive immunity, and those stimulating hematopoiesis. Key cytokines include TNF-alpha and IL-1 which mediate inflammation, IL-12 which mediates innate responses to pathogens, and IFN-gamma which activates macrophages and promotes cell-mediated immunity.

Uploaded by

Mohanad Jawad
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
503 views3 pages

Cytokines

Cytokines are low molecular weight proteins that function as chemical messengers regulating the innate and adaptive immune systems. They are produced by immune cells and act on other immune cells. Cytokines can be pleiotropic, redundant, and multifunctional. They fall into three categories: those regulating innate immunity, those regulating adaptive immunity, and those stimulating hematopoiesis. Key cytokines include TNF-alpha and IL-1 which mediate inflammation, IL-12 which mediates innate responses to pathogens, and IFN-gamma which activates macrophages and promotes cell-mediated immunity.

Uploaded by

Mohanad Jawad
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 3

Cytokines (def) are low molecular weight, soluble proteins that are produced in response to an antigen and function

as chemical messengers for regulating the innate and adaptive immune systems. They are produced by virtually all cells involved in innate and adaptive immunity, but especially by T helper (Th) lymphocytes. The activation of cytokineproducing cells triggers them to synthesize and secrete their cytokines. The cytokines, in turn, are then able to bind to specific cytokine receptors on other cells of the immune system and influence their activity in some manner. Cytokines are pleiotropic, redundant, and multifunctional. Pleiotropic means that a particular cytokine can act on a number of different types of cells rather than a single cell type. Redundant refers to to the ability of a number of different cytokines to carry out the same function. Multifunctional means the same cytokine is able to regulate a number of different functions.

Some cytokines are antagonistic in that one cytokine stimulates a particular defense function while another cytokine inhibits that function. Other cytokines are synergistic wherein two different cytokines have a greater effect in combination than either of the two would by themselves. There are three functional categories of cytokines: 1. cytokines that regulate innate immune responses, 2. cytokines that regulate adaptive Immune responses, and 3. cytokines that stimulate hematopoiesis (def). a. Cytokines that regulate innate immunity are produced primarily by mononuclear phagocytes such as macrophages (def) and dendritic cells (def), although they can also be produced by T-lymphocytes (def), NK cells (def), endothelial cells (def), and mucosal epithelial cells. They are produced primarily in response to pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) such as LPS, peptidoglycan monomers, teichoic acids, unmethylated cytosine-guanine dinucleotide or CpG sequences in bacterial and viral genomes, and double-stranded viral RNA. Cytokines produced in response to PRRs on cell surfaces, such as the inflammatory cytokines IL-1, IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-alpha, mainly act on leukocytes and the endothelial cells that form blood vessels in order to promote and control early inflammatory responses (see Fig. 12). Cytokines produced in response to PRRs that recognize viral nucleic acids, such as type I

interferons, primarily block viral replication within infected host cells (see Fig. 13A and Fig. 13B).

Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) TNF-alpha is the principle cytokine that mediates acute inflammation. In excessive amounts it also is the principal cause of systemic complications such as the shock cascade Interleukin-1 (IL-1) IL-1 function similarly to TNF in that it mediates acute inflammatory responses. Chemokines Chemokines are a group of cytokines that enable the migration of leukocytes from the blood to the tissues at the site of inflammation. Interleukin-12 (IL-12) IL-12 is a primary mediator of early innate immune responses to intracellular microbes. It is also an inducer of cell-mediated immunity. Interleukin-6 (IL-6) IL-6 functions to stimulate the liver to produce acute phase proteins (def); stimulates the proliferation of B-lymphocytes (def); and increases neutrophil (def) production. Cytokines that Regulate Adaptive Immune Responses (Humoral Immunity and Cell-Mediated Immunity) Cytokines that regulate adaptive immunity are produced primarily by Tlymphocytes that have recognized an antigen specific for that cell. These cytokines function in the proliferation and differentiation of Blymphocytes and T-lymphocytes after antigen recognition and in the activation of effector cells. Interleukin-2 (IL-2) IL-2 is a growth factor for NK cells and antigen-stimulated Tlymphocytes and B-lymphocytes. Interleukin-4 (IL-4)

IL-4 is a major stimulus for production of IgE and the development of Th2 cells for defense against helminths and arthropods Interleukin-5 (IL-5) IL-5 is a growth and activating factor for eosinophils as a defense against helminths and arthropods Interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) IFN-gamma is the principal cytokine for activating macrophages. It also induces the production of MHC-I molecules, MHC-II molecules, and costimulatory molecules by APCs in order to promote cell-mediated immunity and activates and increases the antimicrobial and tumoricidal activity of monocytes, macrophages, neutrophils, and NK cells. Cytokines that Stimulate Hematopoiesis Produced by bone marrow stromal cells, these cytokines stimulate the growth and differentiation of immature leukocytes. Colony-stimulating factors (CSF) Promote the production of colonies of the different leukocytes in the bone marrow and enhance their activity. Stem cell factor Stem cell factor makes stem cells in the bone marrow mor responsive to the various CSFs. Interleukin-3 (IL-3) IL-3 supports the growth of multilineage bone marrow stem cells. Interleukin-7 (IL-7) IL-7 plays a role in the survival and proliferation of immature Blymphocyte and T-lymphocyte precursors

You might also like