title: Interleukin-15 is not required for the induction or maintenance of orally induced peripheral tolerance.
abstract: Orally induced tolerance is a physiologically relevant form of peripheral tolerance, which is believed to be important for the prevention of pathological immune responses in the gut. Of several mechanisms proposed to mediate oral tolerance, one that has received much attention recently is the concept of regulatory CD4+ T cells. As recent studies have suggested that interleukin (IL)-15 may be important for the differentiation and maintenance of regulatory CD4+ T cells, we have examined the role of IL-15 in oral tolerance, using a soluble form of the IL-15 receptor (sIL-15R) which blocks the biological effects of IL-15 in vivo. Oral tolerance induced by feeding mice ovalbumin (OVA) in a low-dose regimen believed to induce regulatory T cell activity was not affected by the administration of sIL-15R during either the induction or maintenance phase of tolerance. Thus, oral tolerance does not involve an IL-15-dependent mechanism.
authors.affiliation: Division of Immunology, Infection and Inflammation, Western Infirmary, University of Glasgow, UK. orm1j@clinmed.gla.ac.uk
authors.forename: Owain R
authors.initials: OR
authors.lastname: Millington
authors.forename: Xiao-Qing
authors.initials: XQ
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Garside
authors.forename: Allan Mc I
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Mowat
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D000818:Animals; D002351:Carrageenan; D005260:Female; D006968:Hypersensitivity, Delayed / Q000276:immunology; D007108:Immune Tolerance / Q000276:immunology*; D007249:Inflammation / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control; D019409:Interleukin-15 / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000276:immunology*; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D010047:Ovalbumin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000276:immunology; D053647:Receptors, Interleukin-15; D015375:Receptors, Interleukin-2 / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: C508025:Il15ra protein, mouse; D019409:Interleukin-15; D053647:Receptors, Interleukin-15; D015375:Receptors, Interleukin-2; D002351:Carrageenan; D010047:Ovalbumin