title: Induction of apoptotic cell death in non-melanoma skin cancer by interferon-alpha.
abstract: Interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) is a cytokine that is effective in the treatment of a variety of cancers, including non-melanoma skin cancers. The biologic responses of cells to IFN-alpha are pleiotropic and include growth suppression and immunomodulation. The potential direct effects of IFN-alpha on tumor cell populations are incompletely characterized. Our findings indicate that IFN-alpha can directly induce apoptosis (programmed cell death) in sensitive squamous cell skin cancer cell lines. Cell lines resistant to the cytotoxic effects of IFN-alpha showed no evidence of apoptosis induction. Transfection of IFN-alpha-sensitive cell lines with a bcl-2 expression vector conferred partial resistance to cell death induction by IFN-alpha. Our results indicate that the clinical efficacy of IFN-alpha may, in part, be related to the ability of this cytokine to induce apoptosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Pathology, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston 77030, USA.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rodríguez-Villanueva
authors.forename: T J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: McDonnell
mesh_terms: D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy*; D016923:Cell Death / Q000187:drug effects; D015870:Gene Expression; D006801:Humans; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008545:Melanoma / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy*; D014162:Transfection; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D011994:Recombinant Proteins