Interleukin‐10 mRNA expression in B‐cell chronic lymphocytic leukaemia inversely correlates with progression of disease

Abstract
Interleukin‐10 (IL‐10) has been shown in vitro to inhibit survival and spontaneous DNA synthesis in B‐cell chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (B‐CLL) cells by induction of programmed cell death. We have analysed the presence of mRNA transcripts for IL‐10 in purified B‐CLL cells from 35 patients by RT‐PCR. Transcripts for IL‐10 were detected in 11/20 patients with non‐progressive disease. In cell preparations from patients with progressive B‐CLL IL‐10 mRNA were detected in only 2/15 samples (P ≤ 0.01). The Epstein‐Barr virus status of the cells did not account for the difference in IL‐10 mRNA expression observed between the two groups of patients. Thus, IL‐10 mRNA expression in leukaemic cells from patients with B‐CLL was strongly associated with non‐progressive disease. This finding may support other observations suggesting that IL‐10 might be a candidate for immune therapy of progressive B‐CLL.

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