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IL‐15 is chemotactic for natural killer cells and stimulates their adhesion to vascular endothelium
Author(s) -
Allavena P.,
Giardina G.,
Bianchi G.,
Mantovani A.
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
journal of leukocyte biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.819
H-Index - 191
eISSN - 1938-3673
pISSN - 0741-5400
DOI - 10.1002/jlb.61.6.729
Subject(s) - chemotaxis , biology , microbiology and biotechnology , interleukin 21 , tumor necrosis factor alpha , cytokine , cell adhesion , interleukin 12 , endothelium , receptor , immunology , t cell , cell , in vitro , cytotoxic t cell , immune system , endocrinology , biochemistry
Interleukin‐15 (IL‐15) is a recently described cytokine with IL‐2‐like stimulating activities on T lymphocytes and natural killer (NK) cells. IL‐15 mediates its function through the β‐ and γ‐chains of the IL‐2 receptor. In this work, we have investigated the effect of IL‐15 on the directional migration of NK cells in chemotaxis assays and on the ability of NK cells to bind to vascular endothelium. IL‐15 (10–20 ng/mL) had chemotactic effects on freshly isolated resting NK cells as well as on long‐termed IL‐2‐cultured NK cells. A checkerboard experiment demonstrated that migration in response to IL‐15 was observed only in the presence of a positive gradient (chemotaxis). Overnight treatment of freshly isolated NK cells with IL‐15 (10–20 ng/mL) augmented their binding to cultured endothelial cells (EC) in vitro, especially to resting EC. IL‐15‐activated NK cells bound to resting and tumor necrosis factor‐activated EC by use of LFA‐1/ICAM‐1 and VLA‐4/VCAM‐1 adhesion pathways, essentially as untreated NK cells do. The fact that IL‐15 increased NK cell binding to ICAM‐1‐transfected NIH‐3T3 fibroblasts, together with the finding that IL‐15 did not increase binding to extracellular matrix proteins, where the major molecules involved are VLA proteins, indicated that IL‐15 primarily stimulates LFA‐1‐dependent adhesion. By increasing NK cell adhesion to vascular endothelium and migratory response, IL‐15 is an important determinant of NK cell recruitment in tissues. J. Leukoc. Biol . 61: 729–735; 1997.