IL-5 Active Protein

This gene encodes a cytokine that acts as a growth and differentiation factor for both B cells and eosinophils. The encoded cytokine plays a major role in the regulation of eosinophil formation, maturation, recruitment and survival. The increased production of this cytokine may be related to pathogenesis of eosinophil-dependent inflammatory diseases. This cytokine functions by binding to its receptor, which is a heterodimer, whose beta subunit is shared with the receptors for interleukine 3 (IL3) and colony stimulating factor 2 (CSF2/GM-CSF). This gene is located on chromosome 5 within a cytokine gene cluster which includes interleukin 4 (IL4), interleukin 13 (IL13), and CSF2 . This gene, IL4, and IL13 may be regulated coordinately by long-range regulatory elements spread over 120 kilobases on chromosome 5q31. [provided by RefSeq, Jul 2013]

IL5: Factor that induces terminal differentiation of late- developing B-cells to immunoglobulin secreting cells. Belongs to the IL-5 family.

Protein type: Secreted; Secreted, signal peptide; Cytokine

Chromosomal Location of Human Ortholog: 5q31.1

Cellular Component: extracellular space; extracellular region

Molecular Function: protein binding; interleukin-5 receptor binding; growth factor activity; cytokine activity

Biological Process: positive regulation of peptidyl-tyrosine phosphorylation; positive regulation of transcription, DNA-dependent; cytokine and chemokine mediated signaling pathway; positive regulation of B cell proliferation; positive regulation of JAK-STAT cascade; positive regulation of transcription factor activity; immune response; positive regulation of immunoglobulin secretion; inflammatory response; positive regulation of eosinophil differentiation