Hepatocytes and IL-15: a favorable microenvironment for T cell survival and CD8+ T cell differentiation.
J Immunol
; 182(10): 6149-59, 2009 May 15.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-19414768
ABSTRACT
Human intrahepatic lymphocytes are enriched in CD1d-unrestricted T cells coexpressing NKR. Although the origin of this population remains controversial, it is possible to speculate that the hepatic microenvironment, namely epithelial cells or the cytokine milieu, may play a role in its shaping. IL-15 is constitutively expressed in the liver and has a key role in activation and survival of innate and tissue-associated immune cells. In this in vitro study, we examined whether hepatocyte cell lines and/or IL-15 could play a role in the generation of NK-like T cells. The results show that both HepG2 cells and a human immortalized hepatocyte cell line increase survival and drive basal proliferation of T cells. In addition, IL-15 was capable of inducing Ag-independent up-regulation of NKR, including NKG2A, Ig-like receptors, and de novo expression of CD56 and NKp46 in CD8(+)CD56(-) T cells. In conclusion, our study suggests that hepatocytes and IL-15 create a favorable microenvironment for T cells to growth and survive. It can be proposed that the increased percentage of intrahepatic nonclassical NKT cells could be in part due to a local CD8(+) T cell differentiation.
Texto completo:
1
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Diferenciação Celular
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Sobrevivência Celular
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Subpopulações de Linfócitos T
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Linfócitos T CD8-Positivos
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Interleucina-15
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Hepatócitos
Limite:
Humans
Idioma:
En
Revista:
J Immunol
Ano de publicação:
2009
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Portugal