title: Role of interleukin-15 in umbilical cord blood transplantation.
abstract: Owing to its easier accessibility and less severe graft-versus-host disease, umbilical cord blood (UCB) has been increasingly used as an alternative to bone marrow for hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation. Naiveté of UCB lymphocytes, however, results in delayed immune reconstitution and infection-related mortality in transplant recipients. This article reviews UCB immunology and addresses the potential therapeutic role of interleukin (IL)-15, a pleiotropic gamma chain signaling cytokine, in modulating immune reconstitution, graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), graft-versus-leukemia effect, and infection susceptibility during the post-UCB transplant period. Cytokine immunotherapy using IL-15 simultaneously modulates several immune compartments, thus holds promise for facilitating post-transplant recovery and augmenting antitumor effect without aggravating GVHD in the setting of UCB transplantation.
authors.affiliation: Division of Asthma, Allergy and Rheumatology, Department of Pediatrics, Chang Gung Children's Hospital, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Syh-Jae
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Dah-Chin
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.forename: Yen-Chang
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Ming-Ling
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Kuo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D036101:Cord Blood Stem Cell Transplantation; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000166:cytology* / Q000276:immunology / Q000637:transplantation; D006086:Graft vs Host Disease / Q000276:immunology; D020544:Graft vs Leukemia Effect / Q000276:immunology; D018380:Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation; D006706:Homeostasis / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D019409:Interleukin-15 / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D055153:Stem Cell Niche / Q000166:cytology* / Q000276:immunology / Q000637:transplantation; D014181:Transplantation Immunology; D023001:Transplantation Tolerance / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D019409:Interleukin-15