Departments of
* Cytokine Biology and
Immunology, ZymoGenetics, Inc., Seattle, Washington
Correspondence: Donald C. Foster, Department of Cytokine and Receptor Biology, ZymoGenetics, Inc., 1201 Eastlake Ave. E., Seattle, WA 98102. E-mail: fosterd{at}zgi.com
Interleukin (IL)-21 was recently discovered using a functional cloning approach based on expression of its receptor. It is similar in domain organization and primary sequence to IL-2 and IL-15. Like these cytokines, IL-21 uses the common 
chain of the IL-2/15 receptor, which forms a heterodimeric receptor complex with IL-21R. IL-21 is produced by activated T cells, and it influences proliferation of T and B cells and cytolytic activity of natural killer cells. The elucidation of the unique biological effects of IL-21 represents an intense area of interest in current cytokine biology.
Key Words: cytolytic T cells • functional cloning • innate immunity
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