Role of Interleukin 16 in Multiple Myeloma Pathogenesis: A Potential Novel Therapeutic Target?
Menée sur 10 lignées cellulaires de myélome multiple ainsi que des échantillons de moelle osseuse prélevés sur 62 patients et 12 donneurs sains, cette étude évalue le rôle de l'interleukine 16 dans les cellules tumorales
Interleukin-16 (IL-16) is a cytokine produced by activated CD8-positive (CD8+) T cells, and its receptor is the CD4 molecule (1,2). It was originally named lymphocyte chemoattractant factor because it was one of the first characterized cytokines with chemo attractant activity for human T cells. In this issue of the Journal, Atanackovic et al. (3) have investigated IL-16 expression in multiple myeloma cell lines and in bone marrow from patients with multiple myeloma and have assessed its functional significance using IL-16 gene silencing.
IL-16 induces phosphorylation of protein tyrosine kinase p56lck in CD4-positive (CD4+) T cells through the binding or cross-linking of CD4 molecules (4,5). IL-16 can thus induce CD4+ T-cell activation, which is indicated by the expression of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class II molecules and/or the IL-2 receptor (CD25) (4–6). Although there is still no evidence that IL-16 can directly induce apoptotic cell death, CD4-mediated stimulation of T cells can promote apoptosis in the presence of certain other stimuli that act via the T-cell receptor, including viral and bacterial infections (7,8). Thus, IL-16 derived from activated CD8+ T cells may play an important role in the activation and subsequent death of CD4+ T cells in patients with multiple myeloma, who are known to have defective cellular and humoral immunity that worsens as their disease progresses. …
Journal of the National Cancer Institute , éditorial en libre accès, 2012