Interleukin 15 receptor, alpha subunit is a subunit of the
interleukin 15 receptor that in humans is encoded by the ''IL15RA''
gene
In biology, the word gene (from , ; "...Wilhelm Johannsen coined the word gene to describe the Mendelian units of heredity..." meaning ''generation'' or ''birth'' or ''gender'') can have several different meanings. The Mendelian gene is a ba ...
.
Structure
The IL-15 receptor is composed of three subunits: IL-15R alpha,
CD122
Interleukin-2 receptor subunit beta is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ''IL2RB'' gene. Also known as CD122; IL15RB; P70-75.
Function
The interleukin 2 receptor, which is involved in T cell-mediated immune responses, is present in 3 ...
, and
CD132. Two of these subunits, CD122 and CD132, are shared with the receptor for
IL-2
The Ilyushin Il-2 (Russian language, Russian: Илью́шин Ил-2) is a Ground attack aircraft, ground-attack plane that was produced by the Soviet Union in large numbers during the World War II, Second World War. The word ''shturmovík'' (C ...
, but IL-2 receptor has an additional subunit (
CD25
Interleukin-2 receptor alpha chain (also called CD25) is the human protein encoded by the ''IL2RA'' gene.
The interleukin 2 (IL2) receptor alpha (IL2RA) and beta (IL2RB) chains, together with the common gamma chain (IL2RG), constitute the high-a ...
). The shared subunits contain the cytoplasmic motifs required for signal transduction, and this forms the basis of many overlapping biological activities of
IL15 and
IL2, although ''in vivo'' the two cytokines have separate biological effects. This may be due to effects of the respective alpha chains, which are unique to each receptor, the kinetics and affinity of cytokine-cytokine receptor binding, or due to the availability and concentration of each cytokine.
Function
IL-15Ralpha specifically binds IL15 with very high affinity,
and is capable of binding IL-15 independently of other subunits. It is suggested that this property allows IL-15 to be produced by one cell,
endocytosed by another cell, and then presented to a third party cell.
[ (primary source)]
This receptor is reported to enhance cell proliferation and expression of apoptosis inhibitor
BCL2L1
Bcl-2-like protein 1 is a protein encoded in humans by the ''BCL2L1'' gene. Through alternative splicing, the gene encodes both of the human proteins Bcl-xL and Bcl-xS.
Function
The protein encoded by this gene belongs to the Bcl-2 protein ...
/BCL2-XL and
BCL2
Bcl-2 (B-cell lymphoma 2), encoded in humans by the ''BCL2'' gene, is the founding member of the Bcl-2 family of regulator proteins that regulate cell death (apoptosis), by either inhibiting (anti-apoptotic) or inducing (pro-apoptotic) apoptosis. ...
. Multiple alternatively spliced transcript variants of this gene have been reported. The full length sequences of only two variants encoding distinct isoforms are available.
Isoforms
Several isoforms of the IL-15Ralpha protein have been detected. These isoforms can either result from alternative splicing of the mRNA encoding for the receptor or by shedding of the extra cellular domain of the receptor protein.
References
Further reading
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