Regulated chemokine gene expression in mouse mesothelioma and mesothelial cells: TNF-α upregulates both CC and CXC chemokine genes.

Many cancers express an array of chemokines which have the capacity to modulate the nature and function of intratumoural leukocyte infiltrates. In malignant mesothelioma (MM) neither the chemokine signalling networks nor their regulation have been investigated despite the prominence of leucocytic infiltrates in both clinical and experimental tumours. In this study, we examined constitutive and cytokine-regulated expression of CC and CXC chemokine genes in mesothelioma and mesothelial cell cultures derived from two different mouse strains (BALB/C and CBA/CaH).

Cisplatin and TNF-alpha downregulate transcription of Bcl-xL in murine malignant mesothelioma cells.

Malignant mesothelioma (MM) is an aggressive and highly chemo-resistant tumour. In this study, we examined cisplatin-induced apoptosis in mouse models of this disease and investigated the role of constitutive and inducible expression of apoptosis related genes in this process. All of the four mouse MM cell lines examined expressed Bax, Bcl-xL, c-Myc, and caspase-3 but not Bcl-2.