Description
Interleukin-3 (IL-3) is a pleiotropic cytokine belonging to the interleukin family. IL-3 shares similarities with Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor (GM-CSF) and IL-5: they all have a four-helix bundle structure, are located on the same chromosomes in both human and mouse, are produced by activated T cells, and share receptors. The IL-3/IL-5/GM-CSF receptor family members are all heterodimeric, composed of a receptor-specific α chain and a common β chain. IL-3 is also called multi-colony stimulating factor since it stimulates the development and colony formation of multiple lineages of hematopoietic cells by activating intracellular pathways such as Ras-Raf-ERK and JAK/STAT. IL-3 inhibits apoptosis and promotes cell survival by targeting the anti-apoptotic bcl-2 gene family.