Toward the Molecular Biology of IL-2

Reviewing the molecular biology of lymphokines in 1984 is a bit like writing a biography 10 minutes after the birth of the subject. Such a review entails both advantages and disadvantages. An advantage is that the topic is limited in content and a reasonably comprehensive review can still be attempted; this is unlikely to be the case in a few years. The major disadvantage is that some important features are still in the formative stages and likely to change soon. We have as yet only rudimentary hints about how the genetic expression of lymphokines is controlled and how they act at the molecular level. Since molecular biology is based on precise biochemical information, it may be timely to review our understanding of the molecular properties of one lymphokine, Interleukin-2 (IL-2).