title: Selective expression of interleukin 10, interferon gamma, and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor in ovarian cancer biopsies.
abstract: The variable clinical response seen with most cancer immunotherapy suggests that there is a large interindividual variation in immunologic response to tumors. One of the key functional parameters of an immune response is the local production of cytokines. As a method to survey the immune status of tumor-infiltrating cells, we have investigated the constitutive expression of cytokine mRNA in biopsies from epithelial ovarian carcinomas by using a PCR-assisted mRNA amplification assay. Using a set of cytokine-specific primers for 10 different cytokines, we have found selective expression of interleukin 10 (IL-10), granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor, and interferon gamma mRNA in ovarian tumor tissue as compared to normal ovaries and ovarian tumor cell lines. Such differences could not be explained by the extent of T-cell infiltration, since comparing samples with the same intensity of T-cell receptor (TCR) constant region alpha-chain product from the tumor and normal biopsies demonstrated different cytokine patterns. No IL-2 gene expression was detected in the tumor biopsies. IL-2 mRNA, however, became expressed after stimulation of the tumor-derived cells via the CD3 molecule but not after growth in recombinant IL-2 alone. Using the same methodology, we also analyzed the TCR variable region beta-chain gene repertoire. No restriction or biased expression of these genes was observed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pisa
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Halapi
authors.forename: E K
authors.initials: EK
authors.lastname: Pisa
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gerdin
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hising
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bucht
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Gerdin
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kiessling
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D001706:Biopsy; D002460:Cell Line; D005260:Female; D016178:Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D016753:Interleukin-10 / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D016246:Lymphocytes, Tumor-Infiltrating / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009838:Oligodeoxyribonucleotides; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D010053:Ovary / Q000276:immunology*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D009838:Oligodeoxyribonucleotides; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell; D016753:Interleukin-10; D007371:Interferon-gamma; D016178:Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor