IL-12B p40 (C-20) Antibody: sc-1282

IL-12B p40 Background Information
The interleukins (ILs) are a broad family of well characterized cytokines, primarily of hematopoietic cell origin. ILs are secreted by immune cells (mainly macrophages, B cells or T cells) that regulate a wide range of immune system functions. The functions of different ILs vary from regulating inflammatory and immune responses, functioning as an autocrine factor and regulating and/or inhibiting other ILs. IL-12 is responsible for the differentiation of naive CD4(+) T cells into type 1 helper T cells that produce interferon-© (IFN-©). It also activates production of tumor necrosis factor å (TNFå) from T and natural killer (NK) cells. IL-12 is a heterodimer composed of subunits IL-12A p35 and IL-12B p40. The p40 subunit of IL-12 also combines with p19, a protein that shows no biological activity by itself, to form a biologically active, composite cytokine, IL-23. IL-23 shares some in vivo functions with IL-12, including activation of the transcription factor Stat4 and IFN-© production and proliferation in PHA blast T cells, as well as in CD45RO (memory) T cells.