Cytokines and cytokine receptors as immunotherapeutics: humble beginnings and exciting futures

The biology of cytokines is complex. For example, a cytokines’ action(s) can be autocrine, paracrine or endocrine, acting on specific cells expressing the cytokine receptor (or receptor complex) to trigger signaling pathways and subsequent cytokine-driven outcomes. However, a cytokine's effects in vitro are not always entirely identical to those found in vivo. This is due to their ability to synergize or antagonize, or to differentially regulate the biological effects of other cytokines. Indeed, it was the development of cytokine- and cytokine receptor- specific neutralizing antibodies that permitted several seminal experiments to be performed in rodents that began to reveal the diverse scope of biological outcomes for a given cytokine/cytokine receptor pairing.
Source: Cytokine and Growth Factor Reviews - Category: Molecular Biology Authors: Tags: Introduction Source Type: research