CST, 48333S, Human IL-6 Recombinant Protein

Storage
Human IL-6 Recombinant Protein is supplied as lyophilized material that is very stable at -20°C. It is recommended to reconstitute with sterile water at a concentration of 0.1 mg/ml which can be further diluted in aqueous solutions as needed. Addition of a carrier protein (0.1% HSA or BSA) is recommended for long-term storage. Once in solution, store at 4°C and use within 1 month, or store at -20ºC to -80ºC and use within 3 months to prevent loss of potency. Aliquot to avoid multiple freeze/thaw cycles if storing reconstituted material at -20ºC to -80ºC.
Source / Purification
Recombinant human IL-6 was expressed in and is supplied in a lyophilized form.
Background
Acute phase response is induced by interleukin-6 (IL-6) produced by T cells, macrophages, fibroblasts, endothelial and other cells (1,2). IL-6 induces proliferation or differentiation in many cell types including B cells, thymocytes and T cells. IL-6, in concert with TGF-β, is important for developing Th17 responses. IL-6 binds to IL-6Rα and through this association induces gp130 homodimerization (1). gp130 homodimerization triggers the Jak/Stat cascade and the SHP-2/Erk MAP kinase cascade (1,3,4). IL-6 also forms a complex with an IL-6Rα splice variant that is non-membrane-associated (3). The IL-6/soluble IL-6Rα complex can then activate the gp130 signaling pathway in cells that express gp130 but not IL-6Rα (3). Research studies have shown that IL-6, through increasing expression of proangiogenic VEGF, may also contribute to metastatic breast cancer (5).