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Updated: Aug 3, 2026

Accurate and Simple Measurement of the Pro-inflammatory Cytokine IL-1β using a Whole Blood Stimulation Assay
Published on: March 1, 2011
The cell surface receptors for interleukin-1 alpha and interleukin-1 beta are identical
Abstract:
Interleukin-1 (IL-1) is a factor that can induce proliferation of murine T lymphocytes and can elicit a variety of other biological responses. These include bone resorption, fibroblast proliferation, acute phase protein release from hepatocytes, cartilage breakdown and fever. This spectrum of activities is consistent with a role for IL-1 as a mediator of inflammation. Recently, sequence data have shown that there are at least two members of the IL-1 family; these distantly related proteins have been termed IL-1 alpha and IL-1 beta. We have found previously that both murine T cells and fibroblasts possess a relative molecular mass (Mr) approximately 80,000 (80K) plasma membrane receptor for human IL-1 beta. We show here that the receptor for IL-1 alpha on both murine and human cells is identical to that for IL-1 beta. This result raises the issue of what separation, if any, there might be between the biological activities of IL-1 alpha and IL-1 beta.
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