| IL-6-induced activation of MYC is responsible for the down-regulation of CD33 expression in CD33(+) myeloma cells
Abstract Human myeloma cells from about 10% of cases
with multiple myeloma expressed CD33 and had monocytoid
morphology with convoluted nuclei, and all these
patients had no increase in serum CRP values. In CD33(?)
myeloma cells as well as myeloma cell lines, CD33
expression levels were correlated with the increased
expression levels of CEBPA (C/EBPa). This correlation
was confirmed by the finding that transfection with the
CEBPA gene induced CD33 expression in a CD33(-)
myeloma cell line. As suggested by the lack of an increase
in serum CRP values in CD33(?) myelomas, IL-6 downregulated
the expression of CD33 in CD33(?) myeloma
cell lines along with the down-regulation of CEBPA gene
expression. Cucurbitacin I (STAT3 inhibitor), but not
U0126 (MAPK inhibitor), could abolish the effect of IL-6.
Furthermore, IL-6 up-regulated the expression of MYC via
STAT3 phosphorylation and MYC bound to the promoter
region of the CEBPA gene followed by the down-regulation
of CEBPA expression. It was confirmed that
introduction of shRNA for MYC into a CD33(?) myeloma
cell line blocked the IL-6-induced down-regulation of
CD33 and CEBPA expression. Therefore, these results
indicate that IL-6 can reverse the expression level of CD33
by up-regulating MYC followed by the down-regulation of
CEBPA expression |