[Effects of IFN-alpha combined with IL-6 on cell growth and related genes expression and apoptosis of bone marrow cells from CGL patients].
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the effects of interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) and IFN-alpha combined with interleukin-6 (IL-6) on cell growth and bcr/abl, bcl-2 and c-myc genes expression in the bone marrow mononuclear cells (MNC) from chronic granulocytic leukemia (CGL) patients.


METHODS
MNCs were cultured in liquid medium at the presence of IFN-alpha (200 U/ml) or IFN-alpha (200 U/ml) plus IL-6 (100 ng/ml). The viable cells were counted and the expression levels of beta-actin, bcr/abl, bcl-2 and c-myc genes were quantitatively detected by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).


RESULTS
The cell growth was markedly inhibited by IFN-alpha, but the extent of the inhibition was slightly decreased when IFN-alpha combined with IL-6. The expression levels of bcr/abl and bcl-2 gene were reduced by IFN-alpha or IFN-alpha plus IL-6. The expression of c-myc gene was inhibited by IFN-alpha but promoted by IL-6.


CONCLUSIONS
Both IFN-alpha and IFN-alpha plus IL-6 can inhibit the expression of anti-apoptosis genes, and modulate the expression of c-myc. It is the possible mechanism of IFN-alpha therapy for CGL in chronic phase.
Chen
H
H
Research Center for Mole-cular Biology, Hunan Medical University, Changsha 410078, China.
Tang
L
L
Peng
X
X
Luo
Z
Z
Luo
S
S
Tan
W
W
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D001854:Bone Marrow Cells / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D002452:Cell Count; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects; D004347:Drug Interactions; D016044:Fusion Proteins, bcr-abl / Q000235:genetics; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015464:Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000235:genetics; D016271:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc / Q000235:genetics; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
D016898:Interferon-alpha; D015850:Interleukin-6; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D016271:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D016044:Fusion Proteins, bcr-abl