Description
Interleukin 15 receptor, alpha subunit is a subunit of the interleukin 15 receptor. IL15RA is a cytokine receptor that specifically binds IL15 with high affinity. The receptors of IL15 and IL2 share two subunits, the IL2R beta and IL2R gamma chains. This forms the basis of many overlapping biological activities of IL15 and IL2. IL15RA is structurally related to IL2R alpha, but is capable of binding IL15 with high affinity independent of other subunits, which suggests the distinct roles between IL15 and IL2. This receptor is reported to enhance cell proliferation and expression of apoptosis inhibitor BCL2L1/BCL2-XL and BCL2