Transfer of Interleukin 2 Receptor Genes Into Squamous Cell Carcinoma: Modification of Tumor Cell Growth

Overexpression of interleukin‐2 receptor α in a human squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck cell line is associated with increased proliferation, drug resistance, and transforming ability

“…Towards the goal of understanding these important mechanisms, in the current study, we evaluated molecular changes in a squamous cell carcinoma of the head‐and‐neck cell line, PCI‐13, transfected ex vivo with IL‐2Rα cDNA. The transfected tumor cells expressed IL‐2Rα on the cell surface, as measured by flow cytometry, in contrast to the parental or LacZ gene‐transfected control cells, which expressed no detectable IL‐2Rα [Lin et al, 1993]. In order to evaluate the contribution of the IL‐2R to tumor cell growth, we also transfected PCI‐13 with the γ chain gene, and showed that after selection, the transfected tumor cells expressed increased levels of mRNA for IL‐2Rγ and also stained with anti‐γ chain Abs after permeabilization [Lin et al, 1993].…”

“…The transfected tumor cells expressed IL‐2Rα on the cell surface, as measured by flow cytometry, in contrast to the parental or LacZ gene‐transfected control cells, which expressed no detectable IL‐2Rα [Lin et al, 1993]. In order to evaluate the contribution of the IL‐2R to tumor cell growth, we also transfected PCI‐13 with the γ chain gene, and showed that after selection, the transfected tumor cells expressed increased levels of mRNA for IL‐2Rγ and also stained with anti‐γ chain Abs after permeabilization [Lin et al, 1993]. Both the transfected and parental tumor cell lines expressed comparable levels of the β chain on the cell surface, as reported previously [Lin et al, 1993].…”

“…In order to evaluate the contribution of the IL‐2R to tumor cell growth, we also transfected PCI‐13 with the γ chain gene, and showed that after selection, the transfected tumor cells expressed increased levels of mRNA for IL‐2Rγ and also stained with anti‐γ chain Abs after permeabilization [Lin et al, 1993]. Both the transfected and parental tumor cell lines expressed comparable levels of the β chain on the cell surface, as reported previously [Lin et al, 1993]. The transfected and parental cell lines were used in various functional and molecular assays to evaluate tumor cell characteristics associated with IL‐2R overexpression.…”

“…Human squamous cell carcinoma of the head‐and‐neck cell line, PCI‐13 [Pittsburgh Cancer Institute‐13; Heo et al, 1989], was stably transfected with the LacZ vector alone, IL‐2Rα cDNA, or IL‐2Rγ cDNA as previously described by Lin et al [1993]. Briefly, the LacZ (pRcCMVLZ) plasmid was made by inserting a HindIII–BamHI lacZ segment into a pRcCMV vector that contains a cytomegalovirus (CMV) promoter and a neomycin‐resistance marker gene.…”

Expression of interleukin 2 receptors on human carcinoma cell lines and tumor growth inhibition by interleukin 2

“…Furthermore, expression of IL2R on SCCHN cell lines was associated with the ability of the ligand, IL2, to inhibit significantly growth of some of the tumor cell lines and of the tumor xenografts established in immunosuppressed nude mice (Weidmann et al, 1992;Rabinowich et al, 1992). We have transduced the IL2R-a or IL2R-y genes into carcinoma cell lines and were able to increase substantially their sensitivity to the growthinhibitory activity of IL2 in vztro (Lin et al, 1993).…”