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Background
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Thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) has recently been identified as an important factor capable of driving dendritic cell maturation and activation. TSLP is a four-helix-bundle cytokine that is expressed mainly by barrier epithelial cells and is a potent activator of several cell types such as myeloid dendritic cells. TSLP is involved in the positive selection of regulatory T cells, maintenance of peripheral CD4+ T cell homeostasis and the induction of CD4+ T cell-mediated allergic reaction. TSLP is also capable of supporting the growth of fetal liver and ***** B cell progenitors and their differentiation to the IgM-positive stage of B cell development. Amino acid sequence analysis has shown poor homology between human and mouse TSLP although they exhibit similar biological functions and are expressed in similar tissues. The TSLP receptor (TSLP-R) will bind TSLP in a low-affinity fashion in transfected cells, co-transfection with IL-7R cDNA results in high-affinity binding and a functional heteromeric complex. This heteromeric receptor requires stat5 for TSLP-mediated signal transduction and is inhibited by SOCS1. Despite their predicted molecular weight, TSLP and TSLP-R often migrate at a higher molecular weight in SDS-PAGE. Antibody #4209 recognizes only mouse protein, #4025 recognizes both mouse and rat proteins. Antibodies #4021 and #4207 are specific for human proteins.
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