Regulation of Cytokine Gene Expression in Immunity and Diseases

Book excerpt: This book explores the major cytokines, such as IL-1 and IFN-γ, with respect to the regulation of their gene expression and protein production in specific immune cell types. It discusses both healthy physiological settings and in pathological situations in which the expression of some cytokines could be dysregulated, resulting in either immunodeficiency or exacerbated inflammatory sequelae in animal models as well as in human patients. Cytokines are important regulators of immune responses that require the highly coordinated participation and communication of multiple cell types. The expression of cytokines by various producer cell types is therefore carefully regulated in response to environmental cues at multiple levels: transcription, translation and posttranslational modification. Presenting cutting-edge advances in our understanding of the regulation of cytokine expression, this book is a valuable resource for anyone involved or interested in immune regulation.