Chinese hamster ovarian cells transfected with the murine interleukin-6 gene cause hypercalcemia as well as cachexia, leukocytosis and thrombocytosis in tumor-bearing nude mice.
The effects of interleukin-6 (IL-6) in vivo were assessed by inoculating Chinese hamster ovarian (CHO) cells which were transfected with the murine IL-6 gene in nude mice. Nude mice bearing CHO cells expressing IL-6 developed hypercalcemia. Tumor-bearing mice also showed increases in white cell count, platelet count, and decreases in body weight. In nude mice carrying CHO tumors which had not been transfected with the IL-6 gene, there were no changes in these parameters. These results suggest that increased circulating concentrations of IL-6 in patients with malignant disease may contribute to a number of paraneoplastic syndromes including hypercalcemia, cachexia, leukocytosis and thrombocytosis.
Black
K
K
Medicine/Endocrinology, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio 78284-7877.
Garrett
I R
IR
Mundy
G R
GR
D000818:Animals; D002100:Cachexia / Q000235:genetics*; D006224:Cricetinae; D003412:Cricetulus; D005260:Female; D005796:Genes; D006934:Hypercalcemia / Q000235:genetics*; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000235:genetics*; D007964:Leukocytosis / Q000235:genetics*; D051379:Mice; D008819:Mice, Nude; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology*; D013922:Thrombocytosis / Q000235:genetics*; D014162:Transfection; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
D015850:Interleukin-6