Human IL-12 (p40) ELISA Kit

Background

Interleukin-12(IL12; formerly NKSF, for natural killer cell stimulatory factor, or CLMF, for cytotoxic lymphocyte maturation factor) is a novel cytokine cloned from B-cell lines. IL-12 is a heterodimeric molecule composed of p35 and p40 subunits. The larger 40-kDa subunit(p40) is a member of the cytokine receptor family, and the smaller 35-kDa subunit(p35) is related to IL6 and GCSF. Both IL-12 p40(-/-) and p35(-/-) mice fail to produce IL-12 p70 heterodimer. Interleukin(IL)-12 has been cloned on the basis of its ability to activate natural killer(NK) cells and promote the development of cytolytic T cells. With further understanding of its activities, IL-12 has emerged as an important cytokine, affecting both immune and hematologic functions. It has been shown to be necessary for the T cell independent induction of interferon(IFN)-gamma, critical for the initial suppression of bacterial and parasitic infection; for the development of a Th1 response, critical for effective host defense against intracellular pathogens; and for the activation of differentiated T lymphocytes of both CD4+ and CD8+ phenotype. The subunits map to different chromosomes: p40(IL12B) to 5q31-q33 and p35(IL12A) to 3p12-3q13.2.2 The standard product used in this kit is recombinant human IL-12(p40), which is a 40KDa glycoprotein consisting of 306 amino acids.