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. 2011 Oct 13;3(4):3856–3893. doi: 10.3390/cancers3043856

Figure 2.

Figure 2.

Structural differences in IL-2 and IL-15 signaling. IL-2 and IL-15 bind two common subunits (IL-2R/15Rβ and γc) which signal through the same JAK and STAT molecules, accounting for the similarity in their actions. However, while IL-2 is a secreted cytokine and binds receptors on the surface of activated cells, IL-15 is primarily membrane bound and must be presented through cell-cell contact, which then involves additional costimulatory signals that further modify the cell response. Reprinted by permission from Macmillan Publishers Ltd: Nature Reviews Immunology, 2006 [104].