CNTF and immune system disorder: Members of the IL-6 family include IL-11, leukaemia inhibitory factor (LIF), oncostatin M (OSM), ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF), cardiotrophin-1 (CT-1), and novel neurotrophin-1/B cell stimulatory factor-3 (NNT-1/BSF-3) (Heinrich et al., 2003), sharing similar signaling pathways and playing important functions in inflammatory diseases, immune disorders and tumors.