Interleukin-10 (IL-10) has been described as an anti-inflammatory cytokine and B-cell proliferation factor and has been implicated in autoimmunity, tumorigenesis and transplantation tolerance. We have identified three single base pair substitutions in the IL-10 gene promoter and have investigated whether this polymorphism correlates with IL-10 protein production in vitro.

The DNA sequence of the human IFN-gamma gene shows the presence of a variable-length CA repeat in the first intron of the gene. We investigated the allele distribution of this microsatellite region in 164 unrelated healthy individuals, and the association with interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) production. In vitro production of IFN-gamma showed a significant correlation with the presence of allele #2.

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