title: Interleukin-15 promotes angiogenesis in vivo.
abstract: IL-15, a cytokine with biological functions on cells of lymphoid lineage similar to those of IL-2, mediates its activities through the beta and gamma chains of the IL-2/15R and its own alpha chain. Unlike IL-2, IL-15 also binds to endothelial cells with high affinity. We report here that IL-15 is a stimulator of angiogenesis in vivo. When injected subcutaneously into nude mice, IL-15 consistently induced neovascularization of Matrigel plugs. Endothelial cells were found to express the IL-15R alpha chain and the IL-2/15R beta and common gamma chains. IL-15 induced the rapid tyrosine phosphorylation of proteins in endothelial cells, but did not stimulate endothelial cell proliferation in vitro. These findings document a previously unrecognized biological property of IL-15 and emphasize the role of IL-15 as an important mediator outside the immune system.
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology/Oncology, Children's National Medical Center, Washington, DC 20010, USA.
authors.forename: A L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Angiolillo
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kanegane
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sgadari
authors.forename: G H
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Reaman
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tosato
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D019409:Interleukin-15 / Q000502:physiology*; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D018919:Neovascularization, Physiologic / Q000502:physiology*; D053647:Receptors, Interleukin-15; D015375:Receptors, Interleukin-2 / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: C508025:Il15ra protein, mouse; D019409:Interleukin-15; D053647:Receptors, Interleukin-15; D015375:Receptors, Interleukin-2