title: The distribution of interleukin-19 in healthy and neoplastic tissue.
abstract: The influence of interleukin (IL)-19, a recently discovered cytokine in the IL-10 family, on tissue is still unclear. Our aim was to determine the distribution of IL-19 expression and to delineate the cell types that express IL-19 in healthy and neoplastic tissue, because this information will significantly facilitate the exploration of its pathophysiological functions. We used tissue microarray technology and an immunohistochemical survey with an anti-IL-19 monoclonal antibody to examine the expression of IL-19 in 28 healthy and 15 neoplastic tissues. IL-19 protein was positively stained in 15 healthy tissue types and three major cell types: epithelial cells, endothelial cells, and macrophages. We also found that several types of tumor cells were positively stained for IL-19, especially in squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the skin, tongue, esophagus, and lung. SCC of the oral cavity expressed IL-19 mRNA and its receptors. In two cell lines derived from SCC of oral cavity tumor tissue, IL-19 specifically activated an intracellular signal and induced proliferation of the cells, which indicated that IL-19 may act in an autocrine manner in SCC tumors. This study provides important references for further investigation of the biological functions and clinical implications of IL-19 in humans.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Research, Chi-Mei Medical Center, Tainan, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chung-Hsi
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Hsing
authors.forename: Hsing-Hui
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Yu-Hsiang
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Hsu
authors.forename: Chung-Liang
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Ho
authors.forename: Shih-Sung
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Chuang
authors.forename: Kuo-Mao
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Lan
authors.forename: Ming-Shi
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Chang
mesh_terms: D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D042783:Endothelial Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007378:Interleukins / Q000378:metabolism*; D008264:Macrophages / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D046888:Tissue Array Analysis; D014018:Tissue Distribution
chemical_list: C421250:IL19 protein, human; D007378:Interleukins