Interleukin-7, human recombinant (rHuIL-7)

Interleukin 7 (IL-7), which is constitutively produced particularly by stromal cells from the bone marrow and thymus, plays a crucial role in T cell homeostasis. This cytokine is implicated in thymopoiesis because it sustains thymocyte proliferation and survival. It regulates peripheral naive T cell survival by modulating the expression of the anti-apoptotic molecule Bcl-2, and sustains peripheral T cell expansion in response to antigenic stimulation. Infection by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) leads to severe T lymphopenia and general immune dysfunction. Increased IL-7 plasma levels are generally observed in HIV-infected patients. IL-7 may also support bioenergetics that control cell fate decisions in lymphocytes. Recombinant human IL-7 produced in E.coli is a single, non-glycosylated polypeptide chain containing 153 amino acids and having a molecular mass of 17,412 Daltons.