Interleukin-15-mediated inflammation promotes non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

Interleukin-15 (IL-15) is essential for the homeostasis of lymphoid cells particularly memory CD8(+) T cells and NK cells. These cells are abundant in the liver, and are implicated in obesity-associated pathogenic processes. Here we characterized obesity-associated metabolic and cellular changes in the liver of mice lacking IL-15 or IL-15R alpha. High fat diet-induced accumulation of lipids was diminished in the livers of mice deficient for IL-15 or IL-15R alpha. Expression of enzymes involved in the transport of lipids in the liver showed modest differences. More strikingly, the liver tissues of IL15-KO and IL15R alpha-KO mice showed decreased expression of chemokines CCI2, CCL5 and CXCL10 and reduced infiltration of mononuclear cells. In vitro, IL-15 stimulation induced chemokine gene expression in wildtype hepatocytes, but not in IL15R alpha-deficient hepatocytes. Our results show that IL-15 is implicated in the high fat diet-induced lipid accumulation and inflammation in the liver, leading to fatty liver disease. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.