Cytokines are secreted or otherwise released polypeptide factors that exert autocrine and/or paracrine actions, with most cytokines acting in the immune and/or hematopoietic system. They are typically pleiotropic, controlling development, cell growth, survival, and/or differentiation. Correspondingly, cytokines are clinically important, and augmenting or attenuating cytokine signals can have deleterious or therapeutic effects. Besides physiological fine-tuning of cytokine signals, altering the nature or potency of the signal can be important in pathophysiological responses and can also provide novel therapeutic approaches. Here, we give an overview of cytokines, their signaling and actions, and the physiological mechanisms and pharmacologic strategies to fine-tune their actions. In particular, the differential utilization of STAT proteins by a single cytokine or by different cytokines and STAT dimerization versus tetramerization are physiological mechanisms of fine-tuning, whereas anticytokine and anticytokine receptor antibodies and cytokines with altered activities, including cytokine superagonists, partial agonists, and antagonists, represent new ways of fine-tuning cytokine signals.

中文翻译：

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微调细胞因子信号。


细胞因子是分泌或以其他方式释放的多肽因子，其发挥自分泌和/或旁分泌作用，其中大多数细胞因子在免疫和/或造血系统中起作用。它们通常是多效性的，控制发育、细胞生长、存活和/或分化。相应地，细胞因子在临床上很重要，增强或减弱细胞因子信号可能具有有害或治疗作用。除了细胞因子信号的生理微调之外，改变信号的性质或效力对于病理生理反应也很重要，并且还可以提供新的治疗方法。在这里，我们概述了细胞因子、它们的信号传导和作用，以及微调其作用的生理机制和药理学策略。特别是，单一细胞因子或不同细胞因子对 STAT 蛋白的差异利用以及 STAT 二聚化与四聚化是微调的生理机制，而抗细胞因子和抗细胞因子受体抗体以及活性改变的细胞因子，包括细胞因子超激动剂、部分激动剂和拮抗剂代表了微调细胞因子信号的新方法。