title: Role of IL-15 in HIV-1-associated hypergammaglobulinaemia.
abstract: IL-15 is a novel cytokine, produced by monocytes/macrophages, with biological activities similar to IL-2 but with no significant sequence homology. IL-15 also stimulates human B cells to proliferation and immunoglobulin secretion. We measured serum levels of IL-15 in 84 HIV-1-infected individuals at different stages of disease in reference to 41 healthy blood donors. Our results show a marked elevation of IL-15 serum levels during HIV-1 infection. Moreover, we found that this increase correlated with serum levels of IgG (r = 0.376, P < 0.0001), and partly with serum IgM (r = 0.265, P = 0.015). A significant increase of IL-15 production by cultured peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and purified monocytes in the presence of HIV-1 virus suggests that monocytes/macrophages may be a source of higher IL-15 serum levels in HIV-1-infected individuals. These findings indicate a participation of IL-15 in the hypergammaglobulinaemia frequently associated with HIV-1 infection.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Hygiene, Leopold-Franzens-Universität Innsbruck, Austria.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kacani
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Stoiber
authors.forename: M P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Dierich
mesh_terms: D002478:Cells, Cultured; D015483:HIV Antibodies / Q000276:immunology*; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology*; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D006942:Hypergammaglobulinemia / Q000209:etiology / Q000276:immunology*; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000097:blood; D019409:Interleukin-15 / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000276:immunology; D009000:Monocytes / Q000276:immunology; D005719:gamma-Globulins / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D015483:HIV Antibodies; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D007075:Immunoglobulin M; D019409:Interleukin-15; D005719:gamma-Globulins