1. Academic Validation
  2. A protective role by interleukin-17F in colon tumorigenesis

A protective role by interleukin-17F in colon tumorigenesis

  • PLoS One. 2012;7(4):e34959. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0034959.
Zan Tong 1 Xuexian O Yang Huichao Yan Weihuang Liu Xiaoyin Niu Yun Shi Wenfeng Fang Bing Xiong Yu Wan Chen Dong
Affiliations

Affiliation

  • 1 School of Basic Medical Science, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China. ztong@whu.edu.cn
Abstract

Interleukin-17F (IL-17F), produced by Th17 cells and other immune cells, is a member of IL-17 cytokine family with highest homology to IL-17A. IL-17F has been shown to have multiple functions in inflammatory responses. While IL-17A plays important roles in Cancer development, the function of IL-17F in tumorigenesis has not yet been elucidated. In the current study, we found that IL-17F is expressed in normal human colonic epithelial cells, but this expression is greatly decreased in colon Cancer tissues. To examine the roles of IL-17F in colon Cancer, we have used IL-17F over-expressing colon Cancer cell lines and IL-17F-deficient mice. Our data showed decreased tumor growth of IL-17F-transfected HCT116 cells comparing to mock transfectants when transplanted in nude mice. Conversely, there were increased colonic tumor numbers and tumor areas in IL-17F(-/-) mice than those from wild-type controls after colon Cancer induction. These results indicate that IL-17F plays an inhibitory role in colon tumorigenesis in vivo. In IL-17F over-expressing tumors, there was no significant change in leukocyte infiltration; instead, we found decreased VEGF levels and CD31(+) cells. While the VEGF levels were increased in the colon tissues of IL-17F(-/-) mice with colon Cancer. Together, our findings demonstrate a protective role for IL-17F in colon Cancer development, possibly via inhibiting tumor angiogenesis.

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