Nantes University, CNRS, Inserm, CRCI2NA, Nantes, France.
LabEX IGO, Immuno-Onco-Greffe, Nantes, France.
Front Immunol. 2022 May 3;13:886213. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.886213. eCollection 2022.
Cytokines are crucial molecules for maintaining the proper functioning of the immune system. Nevertheless, a dysregulation of cytokine expression could be involved in the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases. Interleukin (IL)-15 is a key factor for natural killer cells (NK) and CD8 T cells homeostasis, necessary to fight cancer and infections but could also be considered as a pro-inflammatory cytokine involved in autoimmune inflammatory disease, including rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, along with tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), IL-6, and IL-1β. The molecular mechanisms by which IL-15 exerts its inflammatory function in these diseases are still unclear. In this study, we generated an IL-15-derived molecule called NANTIL-15 (New ANTagonist of IL-15), designed to selectively inhibit the action of IL-15 through the high-affinity trimeric IL-15Rα/IL-2Rβ/γc receptor while leaving IL-15 signaling through the dimeric IL-2Rβ/γc receptor unaffected. Administrating of NANTIL-15 in healthy mice did not affect the IL-15-dependent cell populations such as NK and CD8 T cells. In contrast, we found that NANTIL-15 efficiently reduced signs of inflammation in a collagen-induced arthritis model. These observations demonstrate that the inflammatory properties of IL-15 are linked to its action through the trimeric IL-15Rα/IL-2Rβ/γc receptor, highlighting the interest of selectively targeting this receptor.
细胞因子对于维持免疫系统的正常功能至关重要。然而,细胞因子表达的失调可能与自身免疫性疾病的发病机制有关。白细胞介素 (IL)-15 是自然杀伤细胞 (NK) 和 CD8 T 细胞稳态的关键因素,对于抗击癌症和感染是必要的,但也被认为是参与自身免疫性炎症性疾病的促炎细胞因子,包括类风湿关节炎、银屑病,以及肿瘤坏死因子-α (TNF-α)、IL-6 和 IL-1β。IL-15 在这些疾病中发挥炎症功能的分子机制尚不清楚。在这项研究中,我们生成了一种称为 NANTIL-15(新型 IL-15 拮抗剂)的 IL-15 衍生分子,该分子旨在通过高亲和力的三聚体 IL-15Rα/IL-2Rβ/γc 受体选择性抑制 IL-15 的作用,同时不影响通过二聚体 IL-2Rβ/γc 受体的 IL-15 信号传导。在健康小鼠中给予 NANTIL-15 不会影响 NK 和 CD8 T 等依赖 IL-15 的细胞群。相比之下,我们发现 NANTIL-15 能有效减轻胶原诱导性关节炎模型中的炎症迹象。这些观察结果表明,IL-15 的炎症特性与其通过三聚体 IL-15Rα/IL-2Rβ/γc 受体的作用有关,突出了选择性靶向该受体的意义。