Studying the Role of Chimeric IL - 15 on Antigen - Specigic B Cell Response

Abstract

Cytokines participate in many physiological processes including the regulation of immune and inflammatory responses. IL-15, a pleotropic cytokine, plays a great role in enhancing the cell-mediated immunity and is why used extensively in immunotherapies. It induces the generation, activation and maintenance of effector and T memory cells along with NK cells which in-turns regulate IFN-Ƴ. It also helps in the production of anti-apoptotic proteins which in turn lets the important immune cells to work against antigens for a longer period of time. However, its effect on humoral immunity hasn't been explored much. One of the major components of humoral immunity is B cell. IFN-Ƴ is known to proliferate B cell. These B cells have the ability to maintain memory cells and antibody-producing plasma cells which can attack quickly on the targeted antigen on secondary infection. IL- 15 itself has some drawbacks out of which some were overcome by the 'Chimeric IL-15' (Ch. IL-15), a patented molecule of Institute Of Science, NIRMA University. To check whether the Ch. IL-15 is able to generate memory B-cells and that too antigen specific or not, 2 booster doses of OVA antigen were administered to 5 different groups including Control, OVA, OVA+R848, OVA+POLY(I:C), OVA+ Ch. IL-15 of mice and it was found that the Ch. IL-15 was able to generate and sustain memory B-cells in blood whereas the antigen specificity was examined by stimulating splenocytes and bone marrow cells by ova and found that both memory cells and plasma cells were increased after stimulation. Hence, it was concluded that Ch. IL-15 can be used as an adjuvant to generate memory B-cells.