Technical Articles

LIF, short for Leukemia Inhibitory Factor, belongs to the interleukin-6 cytokine family. It was named for its initial discovery of inhibiting the proliferation of murine leukemia cell lines and inducing their differentiation. However, subsequent research has revealed the extreme functional diversity of LIF, making it a key pleiotropic cytokine.

Leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) is an important member of the interleukin-6 cytokine family. Its encoded gene is located in a specific region of the human chromosome and forms a complex by binding to the LIF receptor (LIFR) and gp130 co receptor on the cell membrane, activating downstream signaling pathways such as JAK-STAT, MAPK, and PI3K, and participating in various biological processes such as cell proliferation, differentiation, and survival.