IL-6 is an immunoregulatory cytokine that functions in inflammation and B-cell maturation. It was originally identified as a B-cell differentiation factor. It is primarily made at sites of acute and chronic inflammation, where it is secreted into serum and induces a transcriptional inflammatory response through the cell surface assembly of interleukin-6 alpha receptor (IL-6R, alpha) and the signaling receptor gp130.
