Gene expression patterns can provide vital clues to the pathogenesis of neoplastic diseases. We investigated the expression of 950 genes in Hodgkin's disease (HD) by analyzing differential mRNA expression using microarrays. In two independent microarray experiments, the HD-derived cell lines L428 and KMH2 were compared with an Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-immortalized lymphoblastoid B cell line, LCL-GK. Interleukin (IL)-13 and IL-5 were found to be highly expressed in the HD-derived cell lines. Examination of IL-13 and IL-5 expression by Northern blot analysis and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay confirmed these results and revealed the expression of IL-13 in a third HD-derived cell line, HDLM2. Control LCL and EBV-negative non-Hodgkin lymphoma–derived cell lines did not express IL-13. In situ hybridization of lymph node tissue from HD patients showed that elevated levels of IL-13 were specifically expressed by Hodgkin/Reed-Sternberg (H/RS) tumor cells. Treatment of a HD-derived cell line with a neutralizing antibody to IL-13 resulted in a dose-dependent inhibition of H/RS cell proliferation. These data suggest that H/RS cells produce IL-13 and that IL-13 plays an important role in the stimulation of H/RS cell growth, possibly by an autocrine mechanism. Modulation of the IL-13 signaling pathway may be a logical objective for future therapeutic strategies.
Interleukin 13 Is Secreted by and Stimulates the Growth of Hodgkin and Reed-Sternberg Cells
Address correspondence to Tak W. Mak, Ontario Cancer Institute/Amgen Institute, 620 University Ave., Suite 706, Toronto, Ontario M5G 2C1, Canada. Phone: 416-204-2236; Fax: 416-204-5300; E-mail: [email protected]
U. Kapp's current address is University Medical Center, Department of Hematology/Oncology, Hugstetter Strasse 55, 79106 Freiburg, Germany.
Ursula Kapp, Wen-Chen Yeh, Bruce Patterson, Andrew J. Elia, David Kägi, Alexandra Ho, Andrew Hessel, Mike Tipsword, Alexia Williams, Christine Mirtsos, Annick Itie, Matthew Moyle, Tak W. Mak; Interleukin 13 Is Secreted by and Stimulates the Growth of Hodgkin and Reed-Sternberg Cells . J Exp Med 21 June 1999; 189 (12): 1939–1946. doi: https://doi.org/10.1084/jem.189.12.1939
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