IL6
interleukin 6 | BSF2, HGF, HSF, IL-6, IFNB2

This gene encodes a cytokine that functions in inflammation and the maturation of B cells. In addition, the encoded protein has been shown to be an endogenous pyrogen capable of inducing fever in people with autoimmune diseases or infections. The protein is primarily produced at sites of acute and chronic inflammation, where it is secreted into the serum and induces a transcriptional inflammatory response through interleukin 6 receptor, alpha. The functioning of this gene is implicated in a wide variety of inflammation-associated disease states, including suspectibility to diabetes mellitus and systemic juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. Elevated levels of the encoded protein have been found in virus infections, including COVID-19 (disease caused by SARS-CoV-2). [provided by RefSeq, Aug 2020]

Biological processes 148 terms
T follicular helper cell differentiation (GO:0061470)T-helper 17 cell lineage commitment (GO:0072540)T-helper 17 cell lineage commitment (GO:0072540)T-helper 17 cell lineage commitment (GO:0072540)acute-phase response (GO:0006953)autocrine signaling (GO:0035425)autocrine signaling (GO:0035425)cell differentiation (GO:0030154)cell surface receptor signaling pathway via JAK-STAT (GO:0007259)cell surface receptor signaling pathway via JAK-STAT (GO:0007259)cell surface receptor signaling pathway via STAT (GO:0097696)cell surface receptor signaling pathway via STAT (GO:0097696)cellular response to hydrogen peroxide (GO:0070301)cellular response to lipopolysaccharide (GO:0071222)cellular response to lipopolysaccharide (GO:0071222)cellular response to virus (GO:0098586)cytokine activity (GO:0005125)cytokine activity (GO:0005125)cytokine activity (GO:0005125)cytokine activity (GO:0005125)cytokine activity (GO:0005125)cytokine activity (GO:0005125)cytokine-mediated signaling pathway (GO:0019221)defense response to Gram-negative bacterium (GO:0050829)defense response to Gram-positive bacterium (GO:0050830)defense response to virus (GO:0051607)endocrine pancreas development (GO:0031018)endoplasmic reticulum lumen (GO:0005788)extracellular region (GO:0005576)extracellular region (GO:0005576)extracellular region (GO:0005576)extracellular region (GO:0005576)extracellular region (GO:0005576)extracellular region (GO:0005576)germinal center B cell differentiation (GO:0002314)glucagon secretion (GO:0070091)glucose homeostasis (GO:0042593)growth factor activity (GO:0008083)growth factor activity (GO:0008083)hepatic immune response (GO:0002384)hepatic immune response (GO:0002384)hepatocyte proliferation (GO:0072574)humoral immune response (GO:0006959)identical protein binding (GO:0042802)immune response (GO:0006955)inflammatory response (GO:0006954)inflammatory response (GO:0006954)inflammatory response (GO:0006954)inflammatory response (GO:0006954)inflammatory response to wounding (GO:0090594)interleukin-6 receptor binding (GO:0005138)interleukin-6 receptor binding (GO:0005138)interleukin-6 receptor binding (GO:0005138)interleukin-6 receptor binding (GO:0005138)interleukin-6 receptor binding (GO:0005138)interleukin-6 receptor complex (GO:0005896)interleukin-6-mediated signaling pathway (GO:0070102)interleukin-6-mediated signaling pathway (GO:0070102)interleukin-6-mediated signaling pathway (GO:0070102)interleukin-6-mediated signaling pathway (GO:0070102)interleukin-6-mediated signaling pathway (GO:0070102)interleukin-6-mediated signaling pathway (GO:0070102)liver regeneration (GO:0097421)maintenance of blood-brain barrier (GO:0035633)monocyte chemotaxis (GO:0002548)negative regulation of apoptotic process (GO:0043066)negative regulation of bone resorption (GO:0045779)negative regulation of cell population proliferation (GO:0008285)negative regulation of chemokine production (GO:0032682)negative regulation of collagen biosynthetic process (GO:0032966)negative regulation of cytokine-mediated signaling pathway (GO:0001960)negative regulation of fat cell differentiation (GO:0045599)negative regulation of fat cell proliferation (GO:0070345)negative regulation of interleukin-1-mediated signaling pathway (GO:2000660)negative regulation of lipid storage (GO:0010888)negative regulation of neurogenesis (GO:0050768)negative regulation of primary miRNA processing (GO:2000635)neuron cellular homeostasis (GO:0070050)neuron projection development (GO:0031175)neutrophil apoptotic process (GO:0001781)neutrophil mediated immunity (GO:0002446)paracrine signaling (GO:0038001)plasma membrane (GO:0005886)platelet activation (GO:0030168)positive regulation of B cell activation (GO:0050871)positive regulation of DNA-templated transcription (GO:0045893)positive regulation of DNA-templated transcription (GO:0045893)positive regulation of MAPK cascade (GO:0043410)positive regulation of MAPK cascade (GO:0043410)positive regulation of T cell proliferation (GO:0042102)positive regulation of T-helper 2 cell cytokine production (GO:2000553)positive regulation of acute inflammatory response (GO:0002675)positive regulation of apoptotic DNA fragmentation (GO:1902512)positive regulation of apoptotic process (GO:0043065)positive regulation of cell population proliferation (GO:0008284)positive regulation of cell population proliferation (GO:0008284)positive regulation of cell population proliferation (GO:0008284)positive regulation of chemokine production (GO:0032722)positive regulation of chemokine production (GO:0032722)positive regulation of cytokine production involved in inflammatory response (GO:1900017)positive regulation of epithelial to mesenchymal transition (GO:0010718)positive regulation of extracellular matrix disassembly (GO:0090091)positive regulation of gene expression (GO:0010628)positive regulation of gene expression (GO:0010628)positive regulation of glial cell proliferation (GO:0060252)positive regulation of immunoglobulin production (GO:0002639)positive regulation of immunoglobulin production (GO:0002639)positive regulation of interleukin-1 beta production (GO:0032731)positive regulation of interleukin-10 production (GO:0032733)positive regulation of interleukin-17 production (GO:0032740)positive regulation of interleukin-21 production (GO:0032745)positive regulation of interleukin-6 production (GO:0032755)positive regulation of interleukin-8 production (GO:0032757)positive regulation of leukocyte adhesion to vascular endothelial cell (GO:1904996)positive regulation of leukocyte chemotaxis (GO:0002690)positive regulation of lymphocyte activation (GO:0051251)positive regulation of miRNA transcription (GO:1902895)positive regulation of neuroinflammatory response (GO:0150078)positive regulation of osteoblast differentiation (GO:0045669)positive regulation of peptidyl-serine phosphorylation (GO:0033138)positive regulation of peptidyl-tyrosine phosphorylation (GO:0050731)positive regulation of platelet aggregation (GO:1901731)positive regulation of receptor signaling pathway via JAK-STAT (GO:0046427)positive regulation of receptor signaling pathway via JAK-STAT (GO:0046427)positive regulation of receptor signaling pathway via STAT (GO:1904894)positive regulation of receptor signaling pathway via STAT (GO:1904894)positive regulation of smooth muscle cell proliferation (GO:0048661)positive regulation of transcription by RNA polymerase II (GO:0045944)positive regulation of transcription by RNA polymerase II (GO:0045944)positive regulation of transcription by RNA polymerase II (GO:0045944)positive regulation of translation (GO:0045727)positive regulation of tumor necrosis factor production (GO:0032760)positive regulation of type B pancreatic cell apoptotic process (GO:2000676)positive regulation of vascular endothelial growth factor production (GO:0010575)protein binding (GO:0005515)regulation of angiogenesis (GO:0045765)regulation of astrocyte activation (GO:0061888)regulation of glucagon secretion (GO:0070092)regulation of insulin secretion (GO:0050796)regulation of insulin secretion (GO:0050796)regulation of microglial cell activation (GO:1903978)regulation of neuroinflammatory response (GO:0150077)regulation of protein transport (GO:0051223)regulation of vascular endothelial growth factor production (GO:0010574)response to activity (GO:0014823)response to glucocorticoid (GO:0051384)response to peptidoglycan (GO:0032494)vascular endothelial growth factor production (GO:0010573)
Expression (TPM)
IL6 — as a Regulated Gene

TFs regulating IL6 0 TFs

Transcription factors with Perturb-seq knockdown data for IL6. The Binding column indicates whether any binding evidence exists for this TF–gene pair (ChIP-seq or motif footprint peaks). The Mean coef is the average Perturb-seq regression coefficient across active gRNAs (positive = IL6 upregulated upon KD; negative = downregulated). The Outlier column indicates whether this gene is in the top or bottom 5% of all TF knockdown effects.

Data: Effect:
TF Mean coef Binding Outlier TF→Gene link

Elements linked to IL6

Open chromatin peaks (ATAC-seq) in the genomic neighbourhood of IL6, linked by TSS proximity or chromatin conformation (Multiome / HiCAR). Each element overlaps at least one TF ChIP-seq binding site — the TFs column shows how many distinct TFs bind that element.

Accessibility Element Dist. to TSS Link type TFs
chr7:22,726,279–22,726,700 538 bp At TSS 284
chr7:22,727,224–22,727,695 at TSS At TSS 318

Genome Browser

Genomic view of the IL6 locus showing ATAC-seq accessibility and RNA-seq expression across the ESC → DE time course, together with TF binding peaks and element-to-TSS loop connections.

chr7:22,716,279 – 22,737,695
Proximal 1 kb Distal 10 kb Multiome HiCAR ATAC-seq RNA-seq