title: Interleukin-13 gene expression by malignant and EBV-transformed human B lymphocytes.
abstract: Expression of the IL-13 gene in malignant tissues from 26 human B-cell lymphoid malignancies was analyzed by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). A positive signal was detected in 16 cases, which included high grade B lymphomas, follicular lymphomas and B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemias. IL-13 mRNA was also detected in the 9 malignant B cell lines and in the 6 lymphoblastoid cell lines tested, as well as in freshly isolated malignant B cells from 2 patients with a Burkitt's lymphoma. Two of 8 T-cell lymphomas and 2 of 4 T-cell lines expressed the IL-13 gene. In contrast, IL-13 gene expression was not detected in any of the 5 non-lymphoid cell lines tested. No specific binding of radiolabeled IL-13 was detected on B cell lines, suggesting an absence of IL-13 receptors on such cells. This conclusion was also supported by the inability of IL-13 or anti-IL-13 antibodies to affect the growth of malignant B cells. Taken together, these results show that both malignant and EBV-transformed B lymphocytes, either freshly isolated or maintained as cell lines, express the IL-13 gene. This raises the question of the role of B lymphocyte-derived IL-13, a B lymphocyte stimulating cytokine, on the in vivo function of normal B lymphocytes as well as on the in vivo behaviour of B lymphoid malignancies.
authors.affiliation: INSERM U131, Clamart, France.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Fior
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Vita
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Raphael
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Minty
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Maillot
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Crevon
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Caput
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Biberfeld
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ferrara
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Galanaud
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D001483:Base Sequence; D002051:Burkitt Lymphoma / Q000276:immunology; D002460:Cell Line; D002461:Cell Line, Transformed; D017931:DNA Primers; D015870:Gene Expression; D004854:Herpesvirus 4, Human / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007375:Interleukin-1 / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D016393:Lymphoma, B-Cell / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D007375:Interleukin-1