Conditional up-regulation of IL-2 production by p38 MAPK inactivation is mediated by increased Erk1/2 activity.

The p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase regulates many cellular processes in almost all eukaryotic cell types. In T cells, p38 was shown to regulate thymic development and cytokine production. Here, the role of p38 on interleukin-2 (IL-2) production by human peripheral blood CD4+ T cells was examined.