Description
Interleukin-7 is a glycoptorein involved in the regulation of lymphopoiesis. Response of cells to IL7 is dependent on the presence of the interleukin 7 receptor (IL7R); the active receptor is a alpha/gamma chain heterodimer. The gamma(c) chain, which also associates with the interleukin-2 receptor, serves primarily to activate signal transduction by the IL7R complex, while the alpha chain of IL7R determines specific signaling events through its association with cytoplasmic signaling molecules.