Expression of interleukin 15 (IL-15) in human rhabdomyosarcoma, osteosarcoma and Ewing's sarcoma.
Interleukin 15 (IL-15) is a recently discovered cytokine that stimulates lymphocyte proliferation and migration via a trimeric receptor sharing the beta and gamma signal transducing chains with the IL-2 receptor. IL-15 is typically produced by normal cells that do not release IL-2, but little information is currently available on human tumors. To assess whether human musculo-skeletal sarcomas produce IL-15, we analyzed surgical specimens and cell lines obtained from rhabdomyosarcoma, osteosarcoma and Ewing's sarcoma. IL-15 mRNA was present in 9/9 surgical specimens (3 Ewing's sarcomas, 5 osteosarcomas and 1 rhabdomyosarcoma). The analysis of a panel of cell lines (7 derived from Ewing's sarcoma, 12 from osteosarcoma and 5 from rhabdomyosarcoma) showed that all rhabdomyosarcoma and osteosarcoma cell lines expressed IL-15 mRNA at levels ranging from low to high, while Ewing's sarcoma cells contained little or no IL-15 message. ELISA assays showed IL-15 release in a subset of rhabdomyosarcomas and osteosarcomas, but not in Ewing's sarcoma. The highest production of IL-15, in the picogram/ml range, was found in rhabdomyosarcoma cell lines RH30 and RD.
Lollini
P L
PL
Institute of Cancer Research, University of Bologna, Italy. pierluigi@lollini.dsnet.it
Palmieri
G
G
De Giovanni
C
C
Landuzzi
L
L
Nicoletti
G
G
Rossi
I
I
Griffoni
C
C
Frabetti
F
F
Scotlandi
K
K
Benini
S
S
Baldini
N
N
Santoni
A
A
Nanni
P
P
D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D015870:Gene Expression; D006801:Humans; D019409:Interleukin-15 / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics*; D012516:Osteosarcoma / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis; D012208:Rhabdomyosarcoma / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D012512:Sarcoma, Ewing / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
D019409:Interleukin-15; D012333:RNA, Messenger