title: Inhibitory effect of interleukin-4 on the in vitro growth of Ph1-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells.
abstract: We investigated the effect of recombinant human interleukin-4 (rhIL-4) on the in vitro growth of human leukemia cells in liquid culture and 3H-thymidine incorporation and found inhibitory effects on the growth of leukemic cells from patients with Ph1-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia (Ph1 ALL) and three Ph1 ALL cell lines. However, no inhibitory effects were seen in Ph1-positive leukemic cell lines derived from patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia in blast crisis and various types of Ph1-negative leukemia cells, including B-lineage leukemia cells. In a flow cytometry assay of IL-4 receptor (IL-4R), all three Ph1-positive ALL cell lines showed the presence of IL-4R on their cell surfaces, and the IL-4-dependent inhibition on the growth of Ph1-positive ALL cells was abrogated by the addition of either monoclonal or polyclonal antibodies against rhIL-4. Other cytokines, including IL-2, IL-3, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (CSF), granulocyte-CSF, and IL-6, showed no inhibitory effects on the growth of Ph1-ALL cells, but tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and interferon (IFN)-alpha, -beta, and -gamma displayed slight inhibitory effects in a high concentration. The growth inhibition induced by rhIL-4 in the Ph1-positive ALL cells was not abrogated by the addition of antibodies against either IFN-gamma or TNF-alpha. Furthermore, these cells showed no significant production of IFN-alpha, -beta, or -gamma or TNF-alpha after exposure to rhIL-4, thus indicating that the growth inhibition of Ph1-positive ALL cells by rhIL-4 is not associated with IL-4-stimulating production of these factors. rhIL-4 caused significant inhibition of the tyrosine kinase activity in these Ph1-positive ALL cells, similar to Herbimycin A, an inhibitor of tyrosine kinase that inhibited the tyrosine kinase activity in these cells. Our finding suggests that the clinical evaluation of rhIL-4 may offer promising therapeutic possibilities for patients with Ph1-positive ALL.
authors.affiliation: Third Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Okabe
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kuni-eda
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sugiwura
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Miyagishima
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Saiki
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Minagawa
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kurosawa
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Itaya
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Miyazaki
mesh_terms: D016207:Cytokines / Q000494:pharmacology; D004354:Drug Screening Assays, Antitumor; D006801:Humans; D015847:Interleukin-4 / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010677:Philadelphia Chromosome; D054198:Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology*; D011505:Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*; D019948:Receptors, Interleukin-4; D011975:Receptors, Mitogen / Q000032:analysis; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000494:pharmacology; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D019948:Receptors, Interleukin-4; D011975:Receptors, Mitogen; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D015847:Interleukin-4; D011505:Protein-Tyrosine Kinases