title: Expression of interleukin 15 (IL-15) in human rhabdomyosarcoma, osteosarcoma and Ewing's sarcoma.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Cancer Research, University of Bologna, Italy. pierluigi@lollini.dsnet.it
authors.forename: P L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Lollini
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Palmieri
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: De Giovanni
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Landuzzi
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Nicoletti
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Rossi
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Griffoni
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Frabetti
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Scotlandi
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Benini
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Baldini
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Santoni
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Nanni
mesh_terms: 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
chemical_list: D019409:Interleukin-15; D012333:RNA, Messenger