title: Transcriptional profiling identifies an interferon-associated host immune response in invasive squamous cell carcinoma of the skin.
abstract: Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and basal cell carcinoma (BCC) represent the 2 most common types of nonmelanoma skin cancer. Both derive from keratinocytes but show a distinct biological behavior. Here we present transcriptional profiling data of a large cohort of tumor patients (SCC, n = 42; BCC, n = 114). Differentially expressed genes reflect known features of SCC and BCC including the typical cytokeratin pattern as well as upregulation of characteristic cell proliferation genes. Additionally, we found increased expression of interferon (IFN)-regulated genes (including IFI27, IFI30, Mx1, IRF1 and CXCL9) in SCC, and to a lower extent in BCC. The expression of IFN-regulated genes correlated with the extent of the lesional immune-cell infiltrate. Immunohistological examinations confirmed the expression of IFN-regulated genes in association with a CXCR3+ cytotoxic inflammatory infiltrate on the protein level. Of note, a small subset of SCC samples with low expression of IFN-regulated genes included most organ transplant recipients receiving immunosuppressive medication. Collectively, our findings support the concept that IFN-associated host responses play an important role in tumor immunosurveillance in the skin.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany. joerg.wenzel@ukb.uni-bonn.de
authors.forename: Joerg
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wenzel
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tomiuk
authors.forename: Sabine
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zahn
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Küsters
authors.forename: Anja
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vahsen
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wiechert
authors.forename: Sandra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mikus
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Birth
authors.forename: Marina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Scheler
authors.forename: Dagmar
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: von Bubnoff
authors.forename: Jens M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Baron
authors.forename: Hans F
authors.initials: HF
authors.lastname: Merk
authors.forename: Cornelia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mauch
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Krieg
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Bieber
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bosio
authors.forename: Kay
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hofmann
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tüting
authors.forename: Bettina
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Peters
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D005260:Female; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007372:Interferons / Q000276:immunology*; D007633:Keratins / Q000235:genetics; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D018295:Neoplasms, Basal Cell / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D014158:Transcription, Genetic / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D007633:Keratins; D007372:Interferons