Publications | IL-15 and PIM kinases direct the metabolic programming of intestinal intraepithelial lymphocytes

Intestinal intraepithelial lymphocytes (IEL) are an abundant population of tissue-resident T cells that protect and maintain the intestinal barrier. IEL respond to epithelial cell-derived IL-15, which is complexed to the IL-15 receptor α chain (IL-15/Rα). IL-15 is essential both for maintaining IEL homeostasis and inducing IEL responses to epithelial stress, which has been associated with Coeliac disease. Here, we apply quantitative mass spectrometry to IL-15/Rα-stimulated IEL to investigate how IL-15 directly regulates inflammatory functions of IEL. IL-15/Rα drives IEL activation through cell cycle regulation, upregulation of metabolic machinery and expression of a select repertoire of cell surface receptors. IL-15/Rα selectively upregulates the Ser/Thr kinases PIM1 and PIM2, which are essential for IEL to proliferate, grow and upregulate granzyme B in response to inflammatory IL-15. Notably, IEL from patients with Coeliac disease have high PIM expression. Together, these data indicate PIM kinases as important effectors of IEL responses to inflammatory IL-15.

Principal Investigator(s):

Author(s):
James OJ, Vandereyken M, Marchingo JM, Singh F, Bray SE, Wilson J, Love AG, Swamy M

PubMed:
34257288
Citation:
James OJ, Vandereyken M, Marchingo JM, Singh F, Bray SE, Wilson J, Love AG, Swamy M
Nature Communications
2021
Jul
12
doi:
10.1038/s41467-021-24473-2
PMID: 34257288