Proteine IL7

Hematopoietic growth factor capable of stimulating the proliferation of lymphoid progenitors. It is important for proliferation during certain stages of B-cell maturation.

The protein encoded by this gene is a cytokine important for B and T cell development. This cytokine and the hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) form a heterodimer that functions as a pre-pro-B cell growth-stimulating factor. This cytokine is found to be a cofactor for V(D)J rearrangement of the T cell receptor beta (TCRB) during early T cell development. This cytokine can be produced locally by intestinal epithelial and epithelial goblet cells, and may serve as a regulatory factor for intestinal mucosal lymphocytes. Knockout studies in mice suggested that this cytokine plays an essential role in lymphoid cell survival. Alternative splicing results in multiple transcript variants encoding distinct isoforms. Additional splice variants have been described but their presence in normal tissues has not been confirmed.

Epidermodysplasia verruciformis 5: A form of epidermodysplasia verruciformis, a rare genodermatosis associated with a high risk of skin carcinoma that results from an abnormal susceptibility to infection by specific human papillomaviruses, including the oncogenic HPV5. Infection leads to the early development of disseminated flat wart-like and pityriasis versicolor-like skin lesions. Cutaneous Bowen's carcinomas in situ and invasive squamous cell carcinomas develop in about half of the patients, mainly on sun-exposed skin areas. EV5 patients shows T-cell lymphopenia, particularly affecting CD4+ T cells. EV5 inheritance is autosomal recessive.

Belongs to the IL-7/IL-9 family.

Secreted.