Interleukin-11 acts as an autocrine growth factor for human megakaryoblastic cell lines

Blood. 1993 Feb 15;81(4):889-93.

Abstract

The cytokine interleukin-11 (IL-11) promotes normal human megakaryocytopoiesis in vitro. However, its role in abnormal megakaryocytopoiesis is not well known. Accordingly, we studied its effects on human megakaryoblastic cell lines CMK and Meg-J. IL-11 stimulated the proliferation of CMK and Meg-J in a dose-dependent manner with maximal growth being achieved at the concentration of 50 and 500 ng/mL, respectively. The growth of the cells was inhibited by anti-IL-11 antibody and IL-11 antisense oligonucleotides. IL-11 transcripts were detected in these two cell lines using a reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction assay. These findings indicate that IL-11 might be an autocrine growth factor for megakaryoblastic cells. IL-11 transcripts also existed in other leukemia cell lines: HL-60, U937, and K562. However, the growth of these cells was not stimulated by IL-11, and was not inhibited by IL-11 antisense oligonucleotides. These results suggested that IL-11 might regulate malignant cells of the megakaryocytic lineage, in part by an autocrine loop.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Base Sequence
  • Cell Differentiation
  • Cell Division
  • Gene Expression
  • Humans
  • Interleukin-11 / administration & dosage
  • Interleukin-11 / genetics
  • Interleukin-11 / pharmacology*
  • Leukemia, Megakaryoblastic, Acute / metabolism
  • Leukemia, Megakaryoblastic, Acute / pathology*
  • Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive / metabolism
  • Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive / pathology*
  • Megakaryocytes / pathology*
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Oligonucleotides, Antisense / pharmacology
  • Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • RNA, Messenger / analysis
  • RNA, Messenger / metabolism
  • Tumor Cells, Cultured

Substances

  • Interleukin-11
  • Oligonucleotides, Antisense
  • RNA, Messenger