MODULATION BY INTERFERON-GAMMA OF ZINC-ALPHA(2)-GLYCOPROTEIN GENE-EXPRESSION IN HUMAN EPITHELIAL-CELL LINES

Zinc-alpha 2-glycoprotein has been detected in most body fluids, and i ts antibody labels the corresponding glandular epithelia We have also detected it in human stratified epithelia (epidermis and buccal mucosa ). In this study, the mRNA levels of zinc-alpha(2)-glycoprotein were f ound to be about twice as high in epithelial cells of mucosal origin ( whether-normal primaries or neoplastic cell fines) as in epidermoid ce lls (normal epidermal primary cultures, an immortalized but non-tumori genic epidermal cell line and neoplastic vulvar and cervical cell line s). Interferon-y strongly upregulated gene expression, but substantial ly less in mucosal than epidermoid cells. To compare responses as a cl ue to the function of zinc-alpha(2)-glycoprotein, we ran parallel expe riments with three markers of distinct properties, all known to be ind uced by interferon-y. There was the least resemblance for involucrin, a qualitative similarity for HLA-DR, and a rather better match for 2'- 5' oligoadenylate synthetase.