Recombinant Rat IL-4 Protein

Interleukin-4 (IL-4), also known as B cell-stimulatory factor-1, is a monomeric, approximately 13 kDa‑18 kDa Th2 cytokine that shows pleiotropic effects during immune responses (1‑3). It is a glycosylated polypeptide that contains three intrachain disulfide bridges and adopts a bundled four alpha-helix structure (4). Rat IL-4 is synthesized with a 24 aa signal sequence. Mature rat IL-4 shares 41%, 43%, and 59% aa sequence identity with bovine, human, and mouse IL-4, respectively. Human, mouse, and rat IL-4 are species-specific in their activities (5 ‑ 7). IL-4 exerts its effects through two receptor complexes (8, 9). The type I receptor, which is expressed on hematopoietic cells, is a heterodimer of the ligand binding IL-4 R alpha and the common gamma chain (a shared subunit of the receptors for IL-2, -7, -9, -15, and -21). The type II receptor on nonhematopoietic cells consists of IL-4 R alpha and IL‑13 R alpha1. The type II receptor also transduces IL‑13 mediated signals. IL-4 is primarily expressed by Th2‑biased CD4⁺ T cells, mast cells, basophils, and eosinophils (1, 2). It promotes cell proliferation, survival, and immunoglobulin class switch to IgG1 and IgE in rodent B cells, acquisition of the Th2 phenotype by naïve CD4⁺ T cells, priming and chemotaxis of mast cells, eosinophils, and basophils, and the proliferation and activation of epithelial cells (10‑13). IL-4 plays a dominant role in the development of allergic inflammation and asthma (12, 14).