interleukin-2; IL-2; T-cell growth factor; TCGF (IL2)

Function

• increases T-cell production & activity
• increases lymphocyte-activated killer & natural killer cell (NK cell) activity
• allegedly, also has effects on B cells
• produced by T-cells in response to antigenic or mitogenic stimulation
• required for T-cell proliferation & other activities involved in regulation of the immune response
• can stimulate B-cells, monocytes, natural killer cells, lymphokine-activated killer cells & glioma cells

Structure

• belongs to the IL-2 family

Compartment

secreted

Pathology

• chromosomal translocation t(4;16)(q26;p13) involving IL2 with TNFRSF17 is found in a form of T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL)

Pharmacology

• aldesleukin available under the tradename Proleukin (Chiron)
• used in patients with renal cell carcinoma or metastatic melanoma

More general terms

• interleukin
• lymphokine
• glycoprotein

More specific terms

• aldesleukin [IL-2] (Proleukin, Leukine)

Additional terms

• interleukin-2 receptor (IL2 receptor)

Database

• Entrez gene: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?db=gene&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=Graphics&list_uids=3558
• Kegg: http://www.genome.jp/dbget-bin/www_bget?hsa:3558
• OMIM: https://mirror.omim.org/entry/147680
• UniProt: http://www.uniprot.org/uniprot/P60568.html