Year: 2001
Type: article
Abstract: IL-15 is produced by a wide variety of tissues in response to inflammatory stimuli. We examined the effect of IL-15 in supporting the maturation of monocytes to dendritic cells in ex vivo culture. IL-15 transformed CD14(+) monocytes to mature dendritic cells. These dendritic cells were similar to those obtained from monocyte cultures treated with a combination of the cytokines GM-CSF, IL-4 and TNF-alpha. The effects of IL-15 did not depend on endogenously produced GM-CSF. The IL-15-induced dendritic cells also expressed chemokines and stimulated strong allo-responses that were characteristic of mature dendritic cells. These data indicate that CD14(+) monocytes respond to IL-15 by undergoing morphological transformation and acquiring characteristic dendritic cell features that facilitate antigen-specific responses of T cells. Thus, the release of IL-15 by inflammatory stimuli may induce the conversion of monocytes to immuno-stimulatory dendritic cells to support primary immune responses against pathogens.
Authors: K U Saikh, A S Khan, T Kissner, R G Ulrich
Language: English
Subfield: Immunology
Field: Immunology and Microbiology
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W2034434052