Abstract
Among a population of uniformly differentiated TH2 cells, only a portion express IL-4 upon stimulation and those that do often express the product of only a single allele. We review the evidence for the basis of IL-4 monoallelism and argue that it depends upon probabilistic expression of the Il4 gene. Further, we argue that probabilistic expression may provide a powerful mechanism through which certain key functions of IL-4, such as immunoglobulin class switching and determination of macrophage phenotype, may be efficiently regulated.
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Guo, L., Hu-Li, J. & Paul, W.E. Probabilistic Regulation of IL-4 Production. J Clin Immunol 25, 573–581 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10875-005-8218-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10875-005-8218-5