Interleukin 13 participates in terminal differentiation of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma cells

Abstract

<p><strong>Background: </strong>In China, esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) accounts for more than 90% of all esophageal cancer cases. Interleukin 13 (IL-13) was widely reported to play a key role in tumor progression. Our previous study reported that IL-13 was a favorable predictive marker for the overall survival of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) patients, but how IL-13 contributes to ESCC progression remains unknown. This study aims to explore the role of IL-13 and its underlying downstream molecular mechanisms in ESCC progression.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Tissue microarrays including 262 primary ESCC tumor tissues were collected and analyzed. The expression of IL-13 in ESCC tumor tissue was detected with immunohistochemistry staining (IHC). Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was performed to qualify the expressions of <em>KRT13</em>, <em>KRT4</em> and 15-lipoxygenase-1 (<em>15-LOX-1</em>) in cultured ESCC cell lines with recombinant IL-13 treatment.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>IL-13 was expressed in the esophageal epithelium cells and ESCC tumor cells. High IL-13 expression in ESCC tumor cells predicted a good prognosis for patients. Recombinant human IL-13 raised <em>KRT13</em> and <em>15-LOX-1</em> mRNA levels, but lowered <em>KRT4</em> mRNA level 15-LOX-1 in ESCC cells <em>in vitro</em>.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>In summary, our study suggests that IL-13 might improve the prognosis of ESCC by promoting the terminal differentiation of ESCC cells. This may offer potential new therapeutic target for early treatment of ESCC.</p>