Oncostatin M (OSM) is a growth and differentiation factor that participates in the regulation of neurogenesis, osteogenesis and hematopoiesis. Produced by activated T cells, monocytes and Kaposi’s sarcoma cells, OSM can exert both stimulatory and inhibitory effects on cell proliferation. It stimulates the proliferation of fibroblasts, smooth muscle cells and Kaposi’s sarcoma cells, but inhibits the growth of some normal and tumor cell lines. It also promotes cytokine release (e.g. IL-6, GM-CSF and G-CSF) from endothelial cells, and enhances the expression of low-density lipoprotein receptors in hepatoma cells. OSM shares several structural and functional characteristics with LIF, IL-6, and CNTF. Human OSM is active on murine cells. Recombinant human Oncostatin M is a 25.7kD protein, containing 227 amino acid residues (full length precursor).