title: IL-15 stimulates the expansion of AIDS virus-specific CTL.
abstract: It has been assumed that the maturation of pre-CTL to virus-specific effector CTL is dependent upon IL-2-mediated T cell triggering through the IL-2R. In view of its similarity to IL-2 in its effects on immune cells, we sought to determine whether IL-15 can induce the expansion of AIDS virus-specific pre-CTL to mature CTL. PBL of SIV(mac)-infected rhesus monkeys or HIV-1-infected humans have previously been shown to expand to effector CTL when cultivated with a predicted CTL epitope peptide and rIL-2. We now demonstrate that rIL-15 facilitates this expansion of effector CTL. In fact, rIL-15-driven expansion of virus-specific CTL occurs in the presence of IL-2-neutralizing or anti-IL-2R Abs, indicating that this cellular maturation can occur in an IL-2-independent fashion. These studies suggest a mechanism by which CTL may be capable of expanding in vivo in the absence of IL-2 and functional CD4+ T lymphocytes.
authors.affiliation: Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Hospital, Boston, MA 02215, USA.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kanai
authors.forename: E K
authors.initials: EK
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yasutomi
authors.forename: N L
authors.initials: NL
authors.lastname: Letvin
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D015686:Gene Products, env / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000276:immunology; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D019409:Interleukin-15 / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000494:pharmacology; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D008253:Macaca mulatta; D015682:Retroviridae Proteins, Oncogenic / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D015302:Simian Immunodeficiency Virus / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000276:immunology*; D014760:Viral Fusion Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D015686:Gene Products, env; D019409:Interleukin-15; D007376:Interleukin-2; D015682:Retroviridae Proteins, Oncogenic; D014760:Viral Fusion Proteins; C059580:transmembrane protein, Simian immunodeficiency virus