IL 12 p40 Human Baculovirus

The IL-12 p40 subunit is a 40 kDa protein that forms a disulfide-linked heterodimer with the p35 subunit to create the active IL-12 cytokine. The recombinant human IL-12 p40 protein is produced using the Baculovirus expression system in insect cells. This method involves the use of recombinant transfer vector plasmids containing the IL-12 p40 gene, which are co-transfected into insect cells along with Baculovirus DNA .

The recombinant IL-12 p40 protein produced in this system is a single polypeptide chain containing 315 amino acids and has a molecular mass of approximately 35.8 kDa. It is often fused to a His-tag at the C-terminus to facilitate purification using chromatographic techniques .

IL-12 is a pleiotropic cytokine with multiple biological activities. It acts as a growth factor for activated T and NK cells, enhances the lytic activity of NK and lymphokine-activated killer cells, and stimulates the production of interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) by resting peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). The activity of IL-12 is determined by its ability to induce IFN-γ production, with an effective dose (ED50) of less than or equal to 0.03 ng/ml .

Recombinant IL-12 p40 is used in various research applications, including studies on immune response modulation, cancer immunotherapy, and infectious diseases. The protein is typically formulated in a buffer containing Tris-HCl, NaCl, DTT, PMSF, and glycerol to maintain stability. It should be stored at 4°C for short-term use or frozen at -20°C for long-term storage. To prevent degradation, it is recommended to avoid multiple freeze-thaw cycles and to add a carrier protein such as human serum albumin (HSA) or bovine serum albumin (BSA) for long-term storage .