Interleukin-1 receptor antagonist mRNA expression and the progression of gastric carcinoma

• Published in: Cancer letters 1999-08, Vol.142 (2), p.179-184
• Main Authors: Iizuka, Norio, Hazama, Shoichi, Hirose, Kunitaka, Abe, Tosihiro, Tokuda, Nobuko, Fukumoto, Tetsuo, Tangoku, Akira, Oka, Masaaki
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Biological and medical sciences; Female; Gastric carcinoma; Gastroenterology. Liver. Pancreas. Abdomen; Humans; Immunosuppression; Interleukin 1 Receptor Antagonist Protein; Interleukin-1 receptor antagonist; Liver Neoplasms - secondary; Lymphatic Metastasis; Male; Medical sciences; Metastasis; Middle Aged; Polymerase chain reaction; Receptors, Interleukin-1 - antagonists & inhibitors; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; RNA, Messenger - biosynthesis; Sialoglycoproteins - genetics; Stomach Neoplasms - metabolism; Stomach Neoplasms - pathology; Stomach. Duodenum. Small intestine. Colon. Rectum. Anus; Tumors
• ISSN: 0304-3835; 1872-7980
• DOI: 10.1016/S0304-3835(99)00162-7

Interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra), an endogeneous inhibitor of IL-1, plays an immunosuppressive role in vivo by blocking the proinflammatory effects of IL-1. In the present study, we examined whether IL-1ra expression in human gastric carcinoma correlates with tumor progression and/or metastatic potential. The reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction was used to compare the expression of the secreted form of IL-1ra (sIL-1ra) and the intracellular form of IL-1ra (icIL-1ra) mRNA in tumor and corresponding benign tissue obtained from 38 patients with gastric carcinoma. The incidence of sIL-1ra mRNA expression was significantly higher in tumor (52%) than in corresponding benign tissue (18%) ( P=0.002). On the contrary, icIL-1ra mRNA was detected in all tumors and benign tissues. The expression of sIL-1ra mRNA by malignant tissue correlated positively with both lymph node metastasis ( P=0.008) and liver metastasis ( P=0.015). There was no association between tumor sIL-1ra mRNA expression and other clinicopathologic factors. The degree of regional lymph node reaction, such as sinus histiocytosis, in tumors expressing sIL-1ra mRNA was significantly weaker than that in tumors without sIL-1ra mRNA expression (5/20 vs. 12/18, P=0.010). These results demonstrate that the altered expression of sIL-1ra by malignant tissue may be related to the progression of gastric carcinoma via modulating host immune response.