Interleukines and hematopoiesis regulator

Abstract

The development in the last years of in vitro hematopoietic progenitor culture methods and the advances in molecular biology have allowed to describe the existence of proliferation and differentiation regulators of blood cells. These regulators are known as interleukines or, generically, cytokines. Some of them have direct stimulating action, others are enhancers and, finally, there are other cytokines with a negative or supressor effect. They bind to specific membrane receptors in order to produce their biological effects. The receptor expression on cell membrane may play an important role in cellular regulation. By means of genetic engineering techniques, important amounts of some cytokines have been produced (recombinant human cytokines). It has allowed their clinical use, specially in cases of congenital or acquired neutropenia.