Fatal leukemia in interleukin-15 transgenic mice

The role of inflammation in the early genesis of certain malignancies has r ecently been appreciated. Interleukin (IL)-15, a proinflammatory cytokine a nd growth factor, is required for lymphocyte homeostasis. Intriguingly, the expression of IL-15 protein is tightly controlled by multiple posttranscri ptional mechanisms, suggesting that inappropriate expression of IL-15 may b e detrimental to the host. We recently engineered a transgenic mouse in whi ch the normal posttranscriptional control of IL-15 is eliminated, thereby o verexpressing the murine IL-15 protein. IL-15 transgenic mice have early ex pansions in NK and CD8(+) T lymphocytes and later develop fatal lymphocytic leukemia with a T-NK phenotype. This article recapitulates the phenotype o f these IL-15 transgenic mice and discusses the utility of this model as a tool to further our understanding of leukemogenesis. (C) 2001 Academic Pres s.