AUGMENTATION OF INTERLEUKIN-6 (IL-6) EXPRESSION IN SQUAMOUS CARCINOMA-CELLS AND NORMAL HUMAN KERATINOCYTES TREATED WITH RECOMBINANT ANTINEOPLASTIC PROTEIN (ACP)
Rc. Mckenzie et al., AUGMENTATION OF INTERLEUKIN-6 (IL-6) EXPRESSION IN SQUAMOUS CARCINOMA-CELLS AND NORMAL HUMAN KERATINOCYTES TREATED WITH RECOMBINANT ANTINEOPLASTIC PROTEIN (ACP), Anticancer research, 14(3A), 1994, pp. 1165-1168
A protein purified from Eschericheri coli has previously been shown to
have cytotoxic effects on neoplastic cells of several lineages both i
n vitro and in vivo. Accordingly, this protein has been named anti-neo
plastic protein (ACP). Although ACP kills neoplastic cells by inducing
apoptosis, it has negligible effects on various normal cells. In addi
tion to the direct cytotoxic effects of ACP on tumour cells, previous
studies have shown that in vivo ACP increases tumouricidal activity of
cytotoxic lymphocytes. We investigated whether cytokines from host or
tumour cells play a part in the enhanced cellular immunity seen in AC
P-treated tumour-bearing mice. Growth of normal human keratinocytres (
KC) was not significantly affected by subnanogram amounts of ACP, howe
ver ACP dose-dependently killed KHT cells, a murine fibrosarcoma cell
line (LD(50)=8X10(4) ng/cell). as well as the human squamous carcinoma
cell line COLO-16 (LD(50)=2.5X10(-4) ng/cell). Testing purified A CP
on cultures of normal keratinocytes and squamous carcinoma cell lines
revealed that ACP could induce both mRNA and protein for interleukin-6
(IL-6). Messenger RN;4 for IL-6 increased dose-dependently 4h after t
reatment of COLO-16 squamous carcinoma cells with 10(-4) to 10(-2) ng/
cell ACP. Maximal increment was 50-fold. Interleukin-6 message remaine
d elevated up to 24h later in both normal keratinocytes and squamous c
arcinoma cultures treated with ACP. Conditioned supernates from these
cultures were analysed by ELISA and found to have 4-fold higher levels
,of IL-6 protein than untreated cells after 4h. After 24h, IL-6 did no
t increase abo ve the 4h level. Boiling of the ACP preparation showed
that the cytokine induction was not due to contaminating lipopolysacch
aride. The cytoxic effect of ACP on tumour cells in vitro was not due
to IL-6 protein induction since neither recombinant IL-6, nor the othe
r proinflammatory cytokines, IL-Ia or Tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TN
f-alpha) (0,1-10ng/ml) were able to kill malignant cells. We demonstra
ted IL-6 gene induction by ACP in the squamous carcinoma lines as well
as in normal KC. This suggests that the in vivo effectiveness of ACP
against tumours may be due to stimulatory effects of IL-6 on host immu
nity.