INTERLEUKIN-2 AND ITS RECEPTORS - RECENT ADVANCES AND NEW IMMUNOLOGICAL FUNCTIONS

Although interleukin 2 (IL-2) is generally understood to have potent a ctivating effects on human lymphocytes and monocytes, animals deficien t in IL-2 or IL-2-receptor chains show that IL-2 also exerts negative modulatory effects on the immune system. Here, Jacques Theze, Pedro Al zari and Jacques Bertoglio review these contrasting roles of the IL-2 system and describe recently elucidated mechanisms controlled by this key regulatory cytokine.