US Patent 7252967 Nucleic acids encoding cytokine-like proteins that promote cell proliferation

A full-length cDNA corresponding to an EST (AA418955), which does not show any homology to other proteins in the database but has a weak homology to G-CSF, has been successfully isolated by synthesizing printers based on the EST sequence, and effecting PCR-cloning from a human fetal spleen library. Sequencing of the thus-isolated cDNA and analysis of its structure revealed that the cDNA has typical characteristics of a factor belonging to the IL-6/G-CSF/MGF family. It is also found out that the culture supernatant of said sequence-transfected CHO cells shows a proliferation supporting activity towards bone marrow cells in the coexistence of kit ligand.