IL7 Active Protein

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.[provided by RefSeq, Dec 2010]

IL7: Hematopoietic growth factor capable of stimulating the proliferation of lymphoid progenitors. It is important for proliferation during certain stages of B-cell maturation. Belongs to the IL-7/IL-9 family. 2 isoforms of the human protein are produced by alternative splicing.

Protein type: Cytokine; Secreted; Cell cycle regulation; Apoptosis; Secreted, signal peptide; Cell development/differentiation

Chromosomal Location of Human Ortholog: 8q12-q13

Cellular Component: extracellular space; extracellular region

Molecular Function: interleukin-7 receptor binding; protein binding; growth factor activity; cytokine activity

Biological Process: positive regulation of organ growth; humoral immune response; organ morphogenesis; T cell lineage commitment; cell-cell signaling; positive regulation of T cell differentiation; homeostasis of number of cells within a tissue; regulation of gene expression; positive regulation of cell proliferation; negative regulation of catalytic activity; positive regulation of B cell proliferation; bone resorption; negative regulation of apoptosis