Invitrogen™ Mouse IL-15/IL-15R Complex Uncoated ELISA Kit with Plates

Description

The Mouse Interleukin 15/IL-15 Receptor Complex (IL-15/IL-15R) Uncoated ELISA Kit contains pre-matched antibody pairs, plates and reagents for performing quantitative enzyme linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) to detect and quantify protein levels of mouse IL-15/IL-15R. Wash Buffer and Stop Solution are needed to complete the ELISA reaction and are sold separately. Principle of the method ELISAs are designed to measure the amount of the target bound between a matched antibody pair. A target-specific antibody is coated to the bottom of the wells of a microplate, which is an overnight process. Samples, standards, or controls are then added into these wells and bind to the immobilized (capture) antibody. A sandwich is formed by the addition of the second (detector) antibody, a substrate solution is added that reacts with the enzyme-antibody-target complex to produce measurable signal. The intensity of this signal is directly proportional to the concentration of target present in the original specimen.

Interleukin-15 (IL-15) is a 14 kDa proinflammatory protein that has been shown to play a role in the activation of neutrophils, dendritic cells, and macrophages, and is essential to the development and survival of NK cells and CD8 T-cells. IL-15 activates Jak/Stat pathways by signaling through a heterotrimeric receptor. Two of the subunits of this receptor, beta and gamma, are shared with the IL-2 receptor, while the alpha subunit is unique to IL-15.Despite the expression of IL-15 mRNA in many cell types, the secreted protein is rarely detectable in biological samples. Recent research suggests that IL-15 is retained inside the cell and is only secreted in complex with its unique receptor, IL-15R alpha. This chaperoning is required from the ER to Golgi through to secretion. The cytokine/receptor complex may stay bound to the cell surface, where it can be trans-presented to cells expressing the beta/gamma subunits of the receptor, or may be secreted in a soluble form that lacks the transmembrane domain of the receptor. The soluble IL-15/IL-15R complex is produced by mouse dendritic cells, fibroblasts, and macrophages, and demonstrates a 10-100-fold increase in agonistic activity over IL-15 alone.