cytokine
SY-toh-kyn
ˈsaɪtəʊkaɪnListen
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Dictionary meaning
a broad category of small secreted proteins including interleukins, interferons, tumour necrosis factors, colony-stimulating factors, and chemokines that act as signalling molecules mediating communication between cells of the immune system and between immune and non-immune cells; cytokines regulate virtually every aspect of the immune response including the activation, proliferation, differentiation, migration, and apoptosis of immune cells; they act in an autocrine, paracrine, or endocrine manner, and their dysregulation underlies many inflammatory and autoimmune diseases; the massive overproduction of pro-inflammatory cytokines in response to severe infection or certain therapies is termed a cytokine storm and can be life-threatening
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