Interleukin-15 expression is induced by TGF-beta in hepatocytes: A new role for IL-15 in liver disease?

Liver fibrogenesis is a complex process involving the participation of many meidators. TGF-beta, a key pro-fibrogenic cytokine, drives the fibrogenic process in part by activation of hepatic stellate cells. We recently described a new role for hepatocytes in the process of fibrogenesis, via TGF-beta-induced expression and secretion of CTGF, another potent profibrogenic cytokine, highlighting the importance of hepatocytes in the fibrotic process. Interleukin-15, a potent activator of NK cells, has emerged as an important new player in several models of liver damage, but its precise role has not yet been determine…