Interleukin-6: from basic science to medicine--40 years in immunology

Annu Rev Immunol. 2005:23:1-21. doi: 10.1146/annurev.immunol.23.021704.115806.

Abstract

This essay summarizes my 40 years of research in immunology. As a young physician, I encountered a patient with Waldenström's macroglobulinemia, and this inspired me to study the structure of IgM. I began to ask how antibody responses are regulated. In the late 1960s, the essential role of T cells in antibody production had been reported. In search of molecules mediating T cell helper function, I discovered activities in the culture supernatant of T cells that induced proliferation and differentiation of B cells. This led to my life's work: studying one of those factors, interleukin-6 (IL-6). To my surprise, IL-6 turned out to play additional roles, including myeloma growth factor and hepatocyte-stimulating factor activities. More importantly, it was involved in a number of diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis and Castleman's disease. I feel exceptionally fortunate that my work not only revealed the framework of cytokine signaling, including identification of the IL-6 receptor, gp130, NF-IL6, STAT3, and SOCS-1, but also led to the development of a new therapy for chronic inflammatory diseases.

Publication types

  • Biography
  • Historical Article
  • Portrait
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Allergy and Immunology / history
  • B-Lymphocytes / immunology
  • History, 20th Century
  • History, 21st Century
  • Humans
  • Immunoglobulin M / history
  • Interleukin-6* / history
  • Japan
  • Signal Transduction

Substances

  • Immunoglobulin M
  • Interleukin-6

Personal name as subject

  • Tadamitsu Kishimoto