title: Interleukin-6 and its receptor are expressed in human intestinal epithelial cells.
abstract: Recent studies have suggested that intestinal epithelial cells demonstrate some of the functions associated with immune competent cells. Based on these observations, we investigated whether gastrointestinal epithelial cells express Interleukin-6 (IL-6). The presence of this cytokine was tested in 53 normal and pathological tissue specimens of the human gastrointestinal tract using an immunohistochemical technique with anti-IL-6 monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies. Immunostaining shows that IL-6 is expressed in gastric and small intestinal epithelial cells. The tumor cells from a large subset (11 of 15) of colon cancer specimens were strongly immunostained. IL-6 immunostaining was less conspicuous and less frequent in the epithelial cells of normal colonic mucosa. Northern blot experiments indicated that the expression of IL-6 in colonic mucosa correlates quantitatively with the presence of its m-RNA. Furthermore, IL-6 receptor (IL-6R) m-RNA was also detected and was twice as abundant in colonic carcinoma as in normal colon. It is concluded that mucosal epithelial cells of the gastrointestinal system express IL-6 and that in the case of the colon, malignancy is accompanied by a higher expression. In addition, the presence of IL-6R transcript suggests that normal and neoplastic colonic epithelial cells might be autocrinally regulated by IL-6.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, McGill Univesity, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Shirota
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: LeDuy
authors.forename: S Y
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Yuan
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jothy
mesh_terms: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D006801:Humans; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000302:isolation & purification; D012334:RNA, Neoplasm / Q000302:isolation & purification; D011971:Receptors, Immunologic / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D019947:Receptors, Interleukin-6
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D015850:Interleukin-6; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D012334:RNA, Neoplasm; D011971:Receptors, Immunologic; D019947:Receptors, Interleukin-6