Overview of thymosin activity.

Our current research program centers around the biologic and chemical characterization of the family of polypeptides present in thymosin fraction 5. A system of nomenclature has been developed and the peptides are being systematically isolated and chemically characterized. Thymosin fraction 5 and its component parts influence a variety of lymphocyte properties including cyclic nucleotide levels, migration inhibitory factor production, T-dependent antibody production, and expression of certain surface markers. Thymosin is being used in clinical trials to investigate its effects on immunodeficiency diseases, malignant diseases, and autoimmune diseases.