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Abstract Interleukin-10 (Figure 1) is a small protein known as a cytokine that functions as an important regulator of the immune system. Human IL-10 (hIL-10) is an 18.5 kDa (kilo-Dalton) acid-sensitive protein that lacks detectable carbohydrate moieties. It is a member of the four alpha-helical bundle cytokine super-family and appears to function as a homodimer. Its subunits have a length of 178 amino acids. Mouse IL-10 (mIL-10) is a 35kDa homodimeric cytokine that differs from the human IL-10 due to glycosylation at the N-terminus. Both mouse and human IL-10 contain intra-chain disulfide bonds that are essential to the biological function of IL-10. (8-9) |