Description
Storage
Human IL-16 Recombinant Protein is supplied as lyophilized material that is very stable at -20°C. It is recommended to reconstitute with sterile water at a concentration of 0.1 mg/mL which can be further diluted in aqueous solutions as needed. Addition of a carrier protein (0.1% HSA or BSA) is recommended for long-term storage. Once in solution, store at 4°C and use within 1 month, or store at -20ºC to -80ºC and use within 3 months to prevent loss of potency. Aliquot to avoid multiple freeze/thaw cycles if storing reconstituted material at -20ºC to -80ºC.
Source / Purification
Recombinant human IL-16 was expressed in and is supplied in a lyophilized form.
Background
Interleukin 16 (IL-16) is pleiotropic cytokine that functions as a chemoattractant, a modulator of T cell activation, and an inhibitor of HIV replication (1-4). IL-16 is associated with the development of multiple sclerosis, an inflammatory demyelinating disease of the central nervous system (5). Studies have shown that there is increased expression of IL-16 in the brain and spinal cord tissues of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) mice compared to immunized controls. This resulted in recruitment and activation of CD4 immune cells in the neuroinflammation associated with multiple sclerosis (5). IL-16 is a 17 kDa peptide that interacts with its receptor, the CD4 antigen, and functions as a growth factor specifically for CD4 T cells. This pleiotropic cytokine is known to play a role in immunodeficiency diseases, such as AIDS (6).
