Chapter 9 Human cytokines

Human cytokines represent a new class of polypeptide hormones which are produced by and targeted to not only the cells of the immune system but many others. Cytokines are key players involved in the modulation of the immune system, the maintenance of homeostasis, and hematopoiesis. Most cytokines possess many overlapping activities as evident by their in vitro activities as well as their in vivo activities. In the past few years, the identification of new factors, the characterization of their activities in vitro, and the identification of their receptors has increased rapidly. The detection of cytokines in different disease states may hold promise in diagnosis. The role of these molecules in the therapy of the disease is already evident. The utilization of human cytokines and their receptors in rational drug design has widened the scope of the current biotechnology industry.