Macrophage migration inhibitory factor expression in cervical cancer.
OBJECTIVE
The glycoprotein macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) is a cytokine that has been shown to promote tumor progression and tumor immune escape in ovarian cancer. The present study investigates MIF in uterine cervical cancer.


METHODS
Eighty surgical biopsies (32 cervical dysplasias, 23 in situ carcinomas and 25 invasive carcinomas) of uterine cervical tissue were evaluated immunohistochemically for MIF expression. In uterine cervical cancer cell lines SiHa and CaSki and their respective supernatants, MIF protein expression was analyzed by Western blotting, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).


RESULTS
Immunohistochemical analysis shows that MIF is clearly overexpressed on the protein level in invasive cervical cancer compared to cervical dysplasias. MIF overexpression was confirmed by RT-PCR in surgical biopsies of invasive cervical cancer. Western blotting reveals that the MIF protein is overexpressed in SiHA und CaSki cervical cancer cell lines, whereas the ELISA reveals that cervical cancer cells secrete MIF.


CONCLUSIONS
MIF has been shown to promote tumor immune escape mechanisms in other cancer entities, which makes it an interesting target for cancer therapy, given the known significance of immune mechanisms for uterine cervical cancer. The overexpression of MIF on the protein and mRNA level, as well as its secretion by cervical cancer cells points to a critical role of the protein for the pathogenesis of uterine cervical cancer.
Krockenberger
Mathias
M
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Wuerzburg, Würzburg, Germany.
Engel
Jörg B
JB
Kolb
Julia
J
Dombrowsky
Yvonne
Y
Häusler
Sebastian F M
SF
Kohrenhagen
Nico
N
Dietl
Johannes
J
Wischhusen
Jörg
J
Honig
Arnd
A
D002278:Carcinoma in Situ / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D002584:Cervix Uteri / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008263:Macrophage Migration-Inhibitory Factors / Q000378:metabolism*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D002578:Uterine Cervical Dysplasia / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology
D008263:Macrophage Migration-Inhibitory Factors; D012333:RNA, Messenger