Description
Biological activity
Background information
Interleukin 12 (IL-12) is a heterodimeric proinflammatory cytokine and a modulator of cell-mediated immunity, which is mainly produced by macrophages, dendritic cells, and B cells. IL-12 stimulates the production and secretion of several cytokines, in particular IFN-γ, by NK cells and T cells, induces proliferation, and enhances the cytotoxic activity within these cell populations. Another important activity of IL-12, acting together with IFN-γ and IL-2, is to drive T helper cell responses toward the TH1 rather than the TH2 phenotype. Moreover, IL-12 is also important in resistance to viral disease and has significant antitumor activity. It has been shown that single chain fusion proteins of naturally occurring heterodimeric cytokines such as IL-12 or IL-23 are bioactive in vitro and in vivo.2,3
Quality description
Premium-grade cytokines offer the convenience of high and well-defined biological activities and allow exact unit dosing for demanding applications. The biological activity is determined after lyophilization and reconstitution, and normalized to WHO/NIBSC standards whenever available. In general, endotoxin levels are <0.01 ng/μg (<0.1 EU/μg), and purities are >97%. Lot-specific activities are stated in the Certificate of Analysis (www.miltenyibiotec.com/certificates).
Overview
Recombinant human IL-12 (interleukin 12) can promote proliferation of NK and T cells, regulates their cytotoxic activity, and can induce Th1 differentiation of T cells. The T cell-stimulating factor IL-12 is a crucial regulator of cell mediated immune responses as it also induces the production of IFN-γ by PBMCs, among other cytokines. The recombinant protein is manufactured for use in differentiation studies, cell culture, and functional assays.
