Produced by activated macrophages, IL-1 stimulates thymocyte proliferation by inducing IL-2 release, B-cell maturation and proliferation, and fibroblast growth factor activity. IL-1 proteins are involved in the inflammatory response, being identified as endogenous pyrogens, and are reported to stimulate the release of prostaglandin and collagenase from synovial cells.
Specificity
Natural and recombinant Rat Interleukin-1 beta
Subcellular Location
Secreted The lack of a specific hydrophobic segment in the precursor sequence suggests that IL-1 is released by damaged cells or is secreted by a mechanism differing from that used for other secretory proteins.