CD5 Suppresses IL-15-Induced Proliferation of Human Memory CD8⁺ T Cells by Inhibiting mTOR Pathways

IL-15 induces the proliferation of memory CD8⁺ T cells as well as NK cells. The expression of CD5 inversely correlates with the IL-15 responsiveness of human memory CD8⁺ T cells. However, whether CD5 directly regulates IL-15-induced proliferation of human memory CD8⁺ T cells is unknown. In the current study, we demonstrate that human memory CD8⁺ T cells in advanced stages of differentiation respond to IL-15 better than human memory CD8⁺ T cells in stages of less differentiation. We also found that the expression level of CD5 is the best correlate for IL-15 hyporesponsiveness among human memory CD8⁺ T cells. Importantly, we found that IL-15-induced proliferation of human memory CD8⁺ T cells is significantly enhanced by blocking CD5 with Abs or knocking down CD5 expression using small interfering RNA, indicating that CD5 directly suppresses the IL-15-induced proliferation of human memory CD8⁺ T cells. We also found that CD5 inhibits activation of the mTOR pathway, which is required for IL-15-induced proliferation of human memory CD8⁺ T cells. Taken together, the results indicate that CD5 is not just a correlative marker for IL-15 hyporesponsiveness, but it also directly suppresses IL-15-induced proliferation of human memory CD8⁺ T cells by inhibiting mTOR pathways.