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The role of interleukin 15 in mounting an immune response against microbial infections

Y Yoshikai1, H Nishimura

  • 1Laboratory of Host Defense and Germfree Life, Research Institute for Disease Mechanism and Control, Nagoya University School of Medicine, Japan.

Interleukin (IL)-15 is a recently described cytokine that resembles IL-2 in its biological activities, stimulating natural killer cells, T cells and B cells to proliferate, secrete cytokines, and exhibit increased cytotoxicities or produce antibody. IL-15 also exerts unique functions such as stimulation of phagocytes, maintenance of mast cells and migration of activated/memory T cells. IL-15 is involved in protection against infections with a variety of microbes through not only activating innate immunity but also mounting adaptive immunity.

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