IL15 Gene - Interleukin 15
Cytokine with roles in immune regulation, inflammation, and cancer
Gene Information Card
| Symbol | IL15 |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Interleukin 15 |
| Gene Type | protein-coding |
| Chromosomal Location | 4q31.21 |
| NCBI Gene ID | 3600 ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/3600 |
| Ensembl ID | ENSG00000164136 |
| UniProt ID | P40933 |
| OMIM ID | 605606 |
| HGNC ID | 5977 |
| Aliases | IL-15, MGC9721 |
Description
IL15 encodes a pleiotropic cytokine that regulates T and natural killer (NK) cell activation and proliferation. It signals through a heterotrimeric receptor complex (IL15RA, IL2RB, IL2RG) and is involved in immune responses, inflammation, and tumor surveillance. Alternative splicing produces multiple isoforms, including a membrane-bound form and a secreted form.
Disease Associations
| Disease category | Pathophysiological mechanism | Genomic evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Rheumatoid Arthritis | IL15 promotes synovial T-cell activation and inflammation, contributing to joint damage. | PMID: 12847267; NCBI Gene |
| Inflammatory Bowel Disease | IL15 is overexpressed in inflamed intestinal mucosa, enhancing T-cell survival and pro-inflammatory cytokine production. | PMID: 10946290; NCBI Gene |
| Celiac Disease | IL15 drives intraepithelial lymphocyte cytotoxicity and epithelial damage in gluten-sensitive enteropathy. | PMID: 15546002; NCBI Gene |
| Cancer (various) | IL15 can promote tumor growth by enhancing survival of malignant cells or anti-tumor immunity depending on context; clinical trials explore IL15 as immunotherapy. | PMID: 25645125; COSMIC |
| HIV Infection | IL15 modulates CD8+ T-cell and NK-cell responses, potentially affecting viral control. | PMID: 16920927; NCBI Gene |
Expression Profile
Tissue Expression
| Tissue | nTPM | level |
|---|---|---|
| Bone Marrow | 1.2 | Low |
| Spleen | 0.8 | Low |
| Lymph Node | 0.6 | Low |
| Small Intestine | 0.5 | Low |
| Lung | 0.4 | Low |
| Liver | 0.3 | Low |
Cell Line Expression
| Cell Line | nTPM | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| THP-1 (monocyte) | 0.5 | Low expression |
| K-562 (leukemia) | 0.2 | Very low |
| HeLa (cervical) | 0.1 | Very low |
| A549 (lung) | 0.1 | Very low |
Data source：Human Protein Atlas（proteinatlas.org）
Mutations & Variants
Hotspot Mutations
| Variant | Type | Frequency | Functional Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| rs1057972 | SNP (intronic) | ~30% (global) | No known functional effect |
| rs2296139 | SNP (5' UTR) | ~20% (global) | May affect transcription; associated with autoimmune risk in some studies |
| c.316C>T (p.Arg106Cys) | Missense | Rare | Potential loss of function; not well characterized |
Mutation functional classification
Loss of Function (LOF)
Rare missense variants may impair cytokine-receptor interaction, reducing signaling.
Gain of Function (GOF)
No clear gain-of-function mutations reported; overexpression in disease is often due to transcriptional regulation.
Dominant Negative (DN)
No evidence for dominant-negative effects.
View complete mutation data：
Gene Ontology (GO)
| • cytokine activity | • growth factor activity |
| • protein binding | • receptor binding |
| • extracellular space | • extracellular region |
| • positive regulation of cell proliferation | • positive regulation of T cell proliferation |
| • positive regulation of NK cell proliferation | • immune response |
| • inflammatory response |
Pathways
• Cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction
• JAK-STAT signaling pathway
• PI3K-Akt signaling pathway
• T cell receptor signaling pathway
• NK cell mediated cytotoxicity
Protein Summary
IL15 is a 14-16 kDa secreted cytokine that forms a complex with IL15RA on cell surfaces, trans-presenting to neighboring cells. It activates JAK1/STAT3 and JAK3/STAT5 pathways, promoting survival and proliferation of T, B, and NK cells. The protein has a four-helix bundle structure typical of cytokines.
Related Services
Related Products
| Product name | Cat.No. | Species | Gene ID | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IL15RA Knockout HEK293 Cell Line | EDJ-KQ485 | Human | 3601 | Details Get a Quote |
| IL15 Knockout HEK293 Cell Line | EDJ-KQ1124 | Human | 3600 | Details Get a Quote |
| IL15RA Knockout A-549 Cell Line | EDJ-KQ18797 | Human | 3601 | Details Get a Quote |
| IL15RA Knockout HCT 116 Cell Line | EDJ-KQ18798 | Human | 3601 | Details Get a Quote |
| IL15RA Knockout HeLa Cell Line | EDJ-KQ18799 | Human | 3601 | Details Get a Quote |
| IL15 Knockout A-549 Cell Line | EDJ-KQ20314 | Human | 3600 | Details Get a Quote |
| IL15 Knockout HCT 116 Cell Line | EDJ-KQ20315 | Human | 3600 | Details Get a Quote |
| IL15 Knockout HeLa Cell Line | EDJ-KQ20316 | Human | 3600 | Details Get a Quote |
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