title: Interleukin-6 inhibits apoptosis of malignant plasma cells.
abstract: Multiple myeloma (MM) is a slow-growing malignancy whose plasma cells express the BCL-2 antiapoptosis gene. It is also associated with high levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6), a cytokine that prevents programmed cell death (PCD) in other target cell types. We thus investigated the ability of MM cells to undergo PCD and the possible regulatory effects of IL-6. Four MM cell lines underwent PCD when exposed to serum starvation, doxorubicin (dox), etoposide (VP-16), or dexamethasone (dex). Apoptosis was confirmed by morphologic criteria and/or detection of endonucleosomal DNA fragmentation. The concentrations of dox, VP-16, and dex required for PCD were at least 10-fold greater than that required to inhibit proliferation. Addition of IL-6 (but not IL-1 beta, IL-4, IL-7, or IL-10) inhibited PCD of 8226 targets induced by serum starvation or dexamethasone in a concentration-dependent fashion. In contrast, it had no effect on PCD induced by dox or VP-16. Exposure of targets to IL-6 did not increase BCL-2 expression (it actually consistently decreased expression), suggesting IL-6's protection against apoptosis was not mediated by direct effects on BCL-2. Targets protected from PCD by IL-6 were still sensitive to serum starvation and dex-induced cytostasis, but, after reculturing in drug-free complete media, they reinitiated normal proliferation. These data suggest that high levels of IL-6 may contribute to expansion of myeloma clones by inhibiting apoptotic death.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, VA Wadsworth Hospital-UCLA Medical Center, USA.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lichtenstein
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tu
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fady
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Vescio
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Berenson
mesh_terms: D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D002460:Cell Line; D004249:DNA Damage; D003609:Dactinomycin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology; D003907:Dexamethasone / Q000494:pharmacology; D004317:Doxorubicin / Q000494:pharmacology; D005047:Etoposide / Q000494:pharmacology; D006801:Humans; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009101:Multiple Myeloma / Q000473:pathology; D010950:Plasma Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2
chemical_list: D015850:Interleukin-6; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D003609:Dactinomycin; D005047:Etoposide; C025942:7-aminoactinomycin D; D003907:Dexamethasone; D004317:Doxorubicin