Abstract
Abstract B cell stimulatory factor 2 (BSF-2), B cell differentiation factor (BCDF), interferon-P2 (IFN/J2), 26-kDa protein, hybridoma growth factor (HGF), hepatocyte-stimulating factor (HSF). Human IL-6 consists of 212 amino acids including a 28 amino acid signal peptide (Hirano et al. 1986) (GenBank accession number X04602), whereas mouse and rat IL-6 consist of 211 amino acids with a 24-amino-acid signal peptide (Van Snick et al. 1988; Northemann et al. 1989) (GenBank accession number X06203 for mouse IL-6, M26744 for rat IL-6). Comparison ofthe amino acid sequence of human IL-6 with that of mouse IL-6 shows a homology of only 42 per cent, although the mouse and rat protein sequence are 93 per cent identical. Human IL-6 acts on murine cells with the same biological activity as mouse IL-6, but not vice versa. The central portion of IL-6 is more conserved (57 per cent for the region spanning residues 42-102) and contains the four cysteine residues of the protein in perfect alignment.
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