This gene encodes a cytokine that acts as a growth and differentiation factor for both B cells and eosinophils. The encoded cytokine plays a major role in the regulation of eosinophil formation, maturation, recruitment and survival. The increased production of this cytokine may be related to pathogenesis of eosinophil-dependent inflammatory diseases. This cytokine functions by binding to its receptor, which is a heterodimer, whose beta subunit is shared with the receptors for interleukine 3 (IL3) and colony stimulating factor 2 (CSF2/GM-CSF). This gene is located on chromosome 5 within a cytokine gene cluster which includes interleukin 4 (IL4), interleukin 13 (IL13), and CSF2 . This gene, IL4, and IL13 may be regulated coordinately by long-range regulatory elements spread over 120 kilobases on chromosome 5q31.
