Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UNIPROT:P05231 (interleukin-6)
 23,907 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Previous studies suggest that malignant cells from some patients with myeloid leukemias produce colony-stimulating factors (CSFs) that can function as autocrine growth factors in vitro. We have examined the roles of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and granulocyte-macrophage CSF (GM-CSF) in the proliferation of myeloid leukemia cells. IL-6 activity was assessed in conditioned medium (CM) from myeloid leukemia cell cultures or cell lysates using IL-6-dependent KD83 and 7TD1 murine cell lines. Media conditioned by cells from patients with chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMMoL), but not by normal monocytes, chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), or acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) cells, contained substantial levels (50 to 1,000 U/10(6) cells) of IL-6. The IL-6 content of CM correlated directly with donor peripheral blood WBC count. CM from two of five CMMoL samples also contained greater than 350 pg/mL GM-CSF. Moreover, CMMoL cells spontaneously formed colonies in semisolid medium. CMMoL colony formation could be partially inhibited by antibodies to IL-6 or GM-CSF, whereas combination of these antibodies gave additive, and nearly complete (greater than 93%), inhibition of spontaneous colony formation. Cell lysates from uncultured CMMoL cells from one patient contained abundant GM-CSF protein but no detectable IL-6. These data suggest that IL-6 and GM-CSF act in vitro as autocrine growth factors for CMMoL cells, and that CMMoL cells in vivo may represent a GM-CSF-dependent autocrine growth system.
 ...
PMID:Interleukin-6 and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor are candidate growth factors for chronic myelomonocytic leukemia cells. 267 12

We studied functional disturbances in hemopoietic microenvironment and cytokine production by stromal sublayer in long-term bone marrow cultures and peripheral blood macrophages from patients with various forms of myelodysplastic syndrome. Production of factors stimulating the growth of normal erythroid and granulocytic precursors by cells of the stromal sublayer from patients with refractory sideroblast anemia and refractory anemia with excess blasts is impaired compared to cells from healthy donors. The medium conditioned by macrophages from patients with chronic myelomonocytic leukemia displayed a higher ability to stimulate the growth of granulocytes and macrophages compared to media conditioned by cells from donors and patients with refractory sideroblast anemia and refractory anemia with excess blasts. Cultured stromal cells and macrophages produced tumor necrosis factor-alpha and interleukin-6. Their content in media conditioned by cells from patients with myelodysplastic syndrome surpassed that in healthy donors. Our results suggest that production of cytokines by stromal microenvironmental cells is impaired in patients with various forms of myelodysplastic syndrome.
 ...
PMID:In vivo production of cytokines by bone marrow stromal cells and macrophages from patients with myelodysplastic syndrome. 1168 39

The interleukins function as intercellular hormones, possessing the ability to alter the activity of a target cell population. Interleukin-4, secreted by activated T-cells, has shown antitumor activity in vitro against multiple myelomas, lymphoma, chronic myelomonocytic leukemia, and some solid tumors. Early promising clinical studies have shown the efficacy of IL-4 in decreasing the malignant lymphocyte count and in normalizing hematologic parameters in patients with CLL and in inducing transient clinical responses in patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Interleukin-6 possesses immunomodulating properties including enhancement of NK cell activity and induction of cytotoxic T-cell activity. IL-6 has shown antitumor activity in mice injected with weakly immunogenic syngeneic tumors and has been shown to inhibit in vitro human breast carcinoma and leukemia/lymphoma proliferation through a direct tumor inhibitory effect. Clinical studies investigating the antitumor activity of IL-6 are currently in phase II clinical trials. IL-6 and IL-11 have demonstrated thrombopoietic enhancing activity in primate models and early clinical trials. These agents have a potential application in ameliorating the thrombocytopenia associated with myeloablative chemotherapy. Yet to enter clinical trials, IL-12 has been shown to enhance the lytic activity of nonspecific NK/LAK cells and appears to be more efficient than IL-2 or IFN's in enhancing NK cytotoxicity. IL-12 has also been shown to enhance specific allogeneic human CTL responses and to induce the secretion of IFN-gamma from both resting and activated T and NK cells. In summary, these interleukins are now promising agents under investigation as effective treatment strategies in the oncologic setting.
 ...
PMID:A Review of the New Cytokines: IL-4, IL-6, IL-11, and IL-12. 1183 74

The myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are a group of disorders characterized by dysplastic hemopoiesis and an increased risk of leukemic transformation. The process of angiogenesis has been implicated in the pathogenesis and evolution of MDS. In this study the proliferative activity and extent of angiogenesis was examined in bone marrow samples from 54 patients with MDS in relation to clinicopathologic features. Cellular proliferation and microvascular density (MVD) were examined immunohistochemically, using the monoclonal antibody MIB-1 (Ki-67) and an anti-CD34 monoclonal antibody respectively. Serum concentrations of interleukin-6 (IL-6) were measured by ELISA. The results showed that the MIB-1 Labeling Index (MIB-1 LI), MVD and IL-6 increased significantly with advancing severity of disease. Among the MDS-FAB subtypes, MIB-1 LI, MVD and IL-6 were significantly higher in RAEB-t, RAEB and CMML in comparison to RA and RARS (p < 0.0001 in all cases). Similarly, MIB-1 and MVD were increased in patients with score 3 in comparison to scores 0 and 1 in the IPSS system (p < 0.05). All parameters studied were significantly higher in patients versus controls. We conclude that cellular proliferative activity and angiogenesis are associated with disease progression in MDS patients.
 ...
PMID:Expression of the proliferation-associated nuclear protein MIB-1 and its relationship with microvascular density in bone marrow biopsies of patients with myelodysplastic syndromes. 1560 99

The transcription factor GATA2 regulates normal hematopoiesis, particularly in- stem cell maintenance and myeloid differentiation. Various heteroallelic GATA2 gene mutations are associated with a variety of hematological neoplasms, including myelodysplastic syndromes and leukemias. Here, we report that impaired GATA2 expression induces myelodysplastic and myeloproliferative neoplasm development in elderly animals, and this neoplasm resembles chronic myelomonocytic leukemia in humans. GATA2 hypomorphic mutant (G2f GN / fGN ) mice that were generated by the germline insertion of a neocassette into the Gata2 gene locus avoided the early embryonic lethality observed in Gata2-null mice. However, adult G2f GN / fGN mice suffered from exacerbated leukocytosis concomitant with progressive anemia and thrombocytopenia and eventually developed massive granulomonocytosis accompanied by trilineage dysplasia. The reconstitution activity of G2f GN / fGN mouse stem cells was impaired. Furthermore, G2f GN / fGN progenitors showed myeloid lineage-biased proliferation and differentiation. Myeloid progenitor accumulation started at a younger age in G2f GN / fGN mice and appeared to worsen with age. G2f GN / fGN mice showed increased expression of transcripts encoding cytokine receptors, such as macrophage colony-stimulating factor receptor and interleukin-6 receptor, in granulocyte-monocyte progenitors. This increased expression could be correlated with the hypersensitive granulomonocytic proliferation reaction when the mice were exposed to lipopolysaccharide. Taken together, these observations indicate that GATA2 hypomorphism leads to a hyperreactive defense response to infections, and this reaction is attributed to a unique intrinsic cell defect in the regulation of myeloid expansion that increases the risk of hematological neoplasm transformation.
 ...
PMID:GATA2 hypomorphism induces chronic myelomonocytic leukemia in mice. 3071 Apr 65