Publisher's Synopsis
Cytokines are regulatory polypeptides synthesized by a variety of cells in response to injury, inflammation or infection and which act on different tissues by changing gene expression and cellular metabolism. This book provides the results from recent in vitro studies of the structure and function of various cytokines. It offers an up-to-date overview of the latest advances in cytokine research, including research developments dealing with colony stimulating factors, interferons and growth and differentiation factors - as well as classical hormones such as insulin, neurokinin, somatomedin and parathormones. Several newly identified cytokine receptor structures are also discussed, as are certain activities of the recently discovered 8,000-10,000 m.w. cytokine family.
