Multifunctional interleukin-1beta promotes metastasis of human lung cancer cells in SCID mice via enhanced expression of adhesion-, invasion- and angiogenesis-related molecules

Elastin fragments induce IL-1beta upregulation via NF-kappaB pathway in melanoma cells

In a previous work, we reported the influence of elastin fragments (EFs) on matrix metalloproteinases-2 and -14 expression and activation in melanoma cells in vitro. We hypothesized that EFs might also modulate expression of other mediators involved during melanoma progression. Therefore we investigated the contribution of EFs on IL-1beta expression, a cytokine playing a key role in melanoma cells activation. Our results evidenced that high tumorigenic melanoma cells (M3Da cells) treated with EFs led to IL-1beta mRNA and protein upregulation. The effects of EFs on M3Da cells were found to be mediated by receptor (spliced galactosidase) occupancy, as being suppressed by lactose and reproduced by cell stimulation with the VGVAPG peptide. Binding of EFs to their receptor induced a rapid activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2; and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase pathways. However, these pathways were not associated with IL-1beta mRNA upregulation by EFs. Concomitantly, we demonstrated that EFs stimulation induced NF-kappaB nuclear translocation and DNA binding on IL-1beta promoter region whereas inhibition of NF-kappaB with the specific chemical inhibitor SN-50 or by overexpression of IkappaB, the endogenous inhibitor of NF-kappaB pathway, totally abolished EFs-mediated IL-1beta mRNA overexpression. These results demonstrate that EFs induce NF-kappaB activation, leading to IL-1beta upregulation in invasive melanoma cells.

Reveromycin A inhibits osteolytic bone metastasis of small-cell lung cancer cells, SBC-5, through an antiosteoclastic activity

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study was to determine therapeutic effect of a novel antibiotic, reveromycin A, against osteolytic bone metastasis of human small cell lung cancer (SBC-5) cells.

RESULTS

Reveromycin A induced apoptosis specifically in osteoclasts in vitro. Although reveromycin A did not inhibit SBC-5 cell proliferation, it suppressed the expression of parathyroid hormone-related peptide. Intravenous inoculation of SBC-5 cells in natural killer cell-depleted severe combined immunodeficient mice produced experimental metastases in multiple organs, including the bone. Daily administration of reveromycin A inhibited the bone metastasis, but not visceral metastasis, in a dose-dependent manner. Histologic analyses revealed that although treatment with reveromycin A did not affect the number of proliferating tumor cells, it decreased the number of osteoclasts and increased apoptotic cells in bone lesions.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings suggest that reveromycin A may inhibit osteolytic bone metastasis through suppression of osteoclast activity by directly inducing apoptosis and indirectly inhibiting tumor cell-derived parathyroid hormone-related peptide production. Therefore, reveromycin A may be a novel, potent therapeutic agent against osteolytic bone metastasis of lung cancer in humans.

Infiltration of COX-2-expressing macrophages is a prerequisite for IL-1 beta-induced neovascularization and tumor growth

Inflammatory angiogenesis is a critical process in tumor progression and other diseases. The inflammatory cytokine IL-1beta promotes angiogenesis, tumor growth, and metastasis, but its mechanisms remain unclear. We examined the association between IL-1beta-induced angiogenesis and cell inflammation. IL-1beta induced neovascularization in the mouse cornea at rates comparable to those of VEGF. Neutrophil infiltration occurred on day 2. Macrophage infiltration occurred on days 4 and 6. The anti-Gr-1 Ab-induced depletion of infiltrating neutrophils did not affect IL-1beta- or VEGF-induced angiogenesis. The former was reduced in monocyte chemoattractant protein-1-deficient (MCP-1(-/-)) mice compared with wild-type mice. After day 4, clodronate liposomes, which kill macrophages, reduced IL-1beta-induced angiogenesis and partially inhibited VEGF-induced angiogenesis. Infiltrating macrophages near the IL-1beta-induced neovasculature were COX-2 positive. Lewis lung carcinoma cells expressing IL-1beta (LLC/IL-1beta) developed neovasculature with macrophage infiltration and enhanced tumor growth in wild-type but not MCP-1(-/-) mice. A COX-2 inhibitor reduced tumor growth, angiogenesis, and macrophage infiltration in LLC/IL-1beta. Thus, macrophage involvement might be a prerequisite for IL-1beta-induced neovascularization and tumor progression.

Prognostic role of interleukin-1beta gene and interleukin-1 receptor antagonist gene polymorphisms in patients with advanced gastric cancer

PURPOSE

A high interleukin-1beta (IL-1B) and interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-RN) ratio underlies an unfavorable proinflammatory status. Also, it seems to be involved in the mechanisms of cancer cachexia and tumor angiogenesis and metastasis. Two single nucleotide polymorphisms in IL-1B gene (IL-1B-511C/T,IL-1B-31T/C) and a variable number of tandem repeat polymorphisms in IL-RN gene (IL-1RNlong/2) enhance the circulating levels of the two cytokines. The prognostic role of IL-1B/IL-1RN genotypes was investigated in patients with relapsed and metastatic gastric cancer treated with palliative chemotherapy.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Before starting palliative chemotherapy, 123 prospectively enrolled patients supplied peripheral-blood samples for DNA extraction. Survival data were analyzed according to IL-1RN/IL-1B genotypes.

RESULTS

Forty-two patients showed wild-type genotypes (IL-1RNlong/long, IL-1B-511C/C, and IL-1B-31T/T; group A). Forty-five patients showed the IL-1RN2 polymorphism, with wild-type IL-1B genotypes in seven patients and with IL-1B-511C/T and/or IL-1B-31T/C polymorphisms in 38 patients (group B). The remaining 36 patients demonstrated wild-type IL-1RN, with IL-1B-511C/T and/or IL-1B-31T/C polymorphisms (group C). In group A and B patients, the median progression-free survival (PFS) was 25 and 26 weeks, respectively, and median overall survival (OS) was 42 and 43 weeks, respectively. Group C patients showed worse PFS (median, 16 weeks) and OS (median, 28 weeks) than group A (P = .006 for PFS; P = .0001 for OS) and group B patients (P = .01 for PFS; P = .0001 for OS). The long/T/C haplotype was overrepresented in patients with shortened PFS (P = .001) and OS (P = .0005).

CONCLUSION

In patients with advanced gastric cancer, IL-1B polymorphisms showed adverse prognostic influence when coupled with wild-type IL-1RN genotype. These findings deserve further investigation for potential anticancer activity of recombinant IL-RN.

Role of ICAM1 in invasion of human breast cancer cells

We identified previously a region on chromosome 19p13.2 spanning the genes encoding the intercellular adhesion molecules (ICAM), ICAM1, ICAM4 and ICAM5 as a breast cancer susceptibility locus. Genetic variants in this region were also associated with indicators of disease severity, including higher rates of metastases to other organs. Based on this association, we set out to explore the role of ICAM1 in proliferation and invasion of human breast cancer cells. We observed that ICAM1 downregulation at the mRNA and protein levels led to a strong suppression of human breast cell invasion through a matrigel matrix. Under the same conditions, no significant effect on cell proliferation in vitro was seen. Incubation of cells with an antibody against ICAM1 blocked invasion of the highly metastatic MDA-MB-435 cell line in a dose-dependent manner without affecting cell migration. We also demonstrated that the level of ICAM1 protein expression on the cell surface positively correlated with metastatic potential of five human breast cancer cell lines and that ICAM1 mRNA levels were elevated in breast tumor compared with adjacent normal tissue. These results corroborate our previous genetic finding that variations in the ICAM region are associated with the occurrence of metastases and establish a causal role of ICAM1 in invasion of metastatic human breast carcinoma cell lines.

Interleukin-1 may link helplessness-hopelessness with cancer progression: a proposed model

A model of the relations between psychological factors and cancer progression should include brain and systemic components and their link with critical cellular stages in cancer progression. We present a psychoneuroimmunological (PNI) model that links helplessness-hopelessness (HH) with cancer progression via interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta). IL-1beta was elevated in the brain following exposure to inescapable shock, and HH was minimized by antagonizing cerebral IL-1beta. Elevated cerebral IL-1beta increased cancer metastasis in animals. Inescapable shock was associated with systemic elevations of IL-1beta and peripheral IL-1beta was associated with escape from apoptosis, angiogenesis, and metastasis. Involvement of the sympathetic nervous system and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis are discussed. Future studies need to identify the role of additional factors in this PNI pathway.

Clinical significance of circulating endothelial adhesion molecules (sE-selectin and sICAM) in untreated multiple myeloma patients

BACKGROUND

The expression of adhesion molecules is important for the interaction of myeloma cells with the bone marrow microenvironment. In the current study, serum soluble adhesion molecules (sICAM-1 and sE-selectin) were measured in untreated multiple myeloma (MM) patients in relation with other markers of disease activity.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The study group consisted of 67 patients with MM (classified according to the Durie-Salmon classification) and 15 controls. Interleukin-6 (IL-6), sICAM-1 and sE-selectin concentrations were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). In addition, the monoclonal protein, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and hemoglobin (Hb) concentration were also determined.

RESULTS

Serum sICAM-1 level increased significantly at advanced stages of MM and was higher in comparison to controls (p<0.01). sE-selectin increased significantly with advancing stage of the disease, but did not differ from controls. IL-6, ESR and M-component were significantly higher and Hb concentrations lower with advancing stage of disease. There was a positive correlation of IL-6 with sICAM-1 and sE-selectin.

CONCLUSIONS

We conclude that serum sICAM-1 differs in multiple myeloma patients from normals and together with sE-selectin increase in parallel to increasing stage of disease, which may reflect a dysregulation and possible involvement of these adhesion molecules in myeloma progression.

Mice Transgenic for IL-1 Receptor Antagonist Protein Are Resistant to Herpetic Stromal Keratitis: Possible Role for IL-1 in Herpetic Stromal Keratitis Pathogenesis

Ocular infection with HSV may result in the blinding immunoinflammatory lesion stromal keratitis (SK). This represents a CD4+ T cell-mediated immunopathologic lesion in both humans and a mouse model. Early events in the pathogenesis that set the stage for SK are poorly understood. The present study evaluates the role of IL-1 using a transgenic mouse that overexpresses the IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra) protein. Such transgenic mice were markedly resistant to SK compared with IL-1ra(-/-) and C57BL/6 control animals. The resistance was shown to be the consequence of reduced expression of molecules such as IL-6, macrophage-inflammatory protein-2, and vascular endothelial growth factor, normally up-regulated directly or indirectly by IL-1. A critical event impaired in IL-1ra transgenic mice was vascular endothelial growth factor production with a consequent marked reduction in angiogenesis, an essential step in SK pathogenesis. Targeting IL-1 could prove to be a worthwhile therapeutic approach to control SK, an important cause of human blindness.

Cyclooxygenase 2 is a key enzyme for inflammatory cytokine-induced angiogenesis

Cyclooxygenase1 (COX1) and COX2 mediate the rate-limiting step in arachidonic acid metabolism. Expression of COX2 mRNA and protein is often enhanced in various human cell types by inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha). IL-1beta enhanced expression of various prostanoids and this expression was blocked by COX2 selective inhibitors. IL-1beta markedly induced angiogenesis in vitro and in vivo, which was significantly inhibited by COX2 selective inhibitors but not by a vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor. In contrast, COX2 selective inhibitors only partially blocked VEGF-induced angiogenesis. EP2, EP4 (prostaglandin E2 receptors) agonists and thromboxane A2 (TXA2) receptor agonists induced angiogenesis in vitro and in vivo; IL-1beta-induced angiogenesis was blocked by an EP4 antagonist and a TXA2 receptor antagonist. IL-1beta induced much less angiogenesis in cornea of COX2 knockout mice than that of wild-type mice. This is the first report that COX2 and some prostanoids play a key role in IL-1beta-induced angiogenesis.