Limited allelic polymorphism in the human interleukin-3 gene.

Interleukin-3 (IL-3) is a cytokine expressed primarily in activated T cells mast cells and natural killer (NK) cells. Interleukin-3 has the capability to stimulate the proliferation and differentiation of multipotential stem cells and has a role in shaping the immune response. In order to better understand the biological role of IL-3, a study of polymorphisms within the human IL-3 gene and its upstream regulatory elements has been conducted. Using a modification of the bidirectional dideoxy fingerprinting method, a group of 88 Caucasoid individuals were screened for polymorphism in the IL-3 enhancer, promoter and gene coding regions. Analysis revealed the presence of several infrequent polymorphisms which may affect IL-3 functionality. Copyright 1998 Academic Press Limited