The axis IL-10/claudin-10 is implicated in the modulation of aggressiveness of melanoma cells by B-1 lymphocytes

PLoS One. 2017 Nov 16;12(11):e0187333. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0187333. eCollection 2017.

Abstract

B-1 lymphocytes are known to increase the metastatic potential of B16F10 melanoma cells via the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) pathway. Since IL-10 is associated with B-1 cells performance, we hypothesized that IL-10 could be implicated in the progression of melanoma. In the present work, we found that the C57BL/6 mice, inoculated with B16F10 cells that were co-cultivated with B-1 lymphocytes from IL-10 knockout mice, developed fewer metastatic nodules than the ones which were injected with the melanoma cells that were cultivated in the presence of wild-type B-1 cells. The impairment of metastatic potential of the B16F10 cells was correlated with low activation of the ERK signaling pathway, supporting the idea that the production of IL-10 by B-1 cells influences the behavior of the tumor. A microarray analysis of the B-1 lymphocytes revealed that IL-10 deficiency is associated with down-regulation of the genes that code for claudin-10, a protein that is involved in cell-to-cell contact and that has been linked to lung adenocarcinoma. In order to determine the impact of claudin-10 in the cross-talk between B-1 lymphocytes and the B16F10 tumor cells, we took advantage of small interfering RNA. The silencing of claudin-10 gene in B-1 lymphocytes inhibited activation of the ERK pathway and abrogated the B-1-induced aggressive behavior of the B16F10 cells. Thus, our findings suggest that the axis IL-10/claudin-10 is a promising target for the development of therapeutic agents against aggressive melanoma.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Claudins / metabolism*
  • Interleukin-10 / metabolism*
  • Melanoma, Experimental / metabolism*
  • Melanoma, Experimental / pathology
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Neoplasm Metastasis

Substances

  • Claudins
  • claudin 10
  • Interleukin-10

Grants and funding

This work was supported by Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP; www.fapesp.br), grant numbers 11/50256-6; 08/50632-5 and 2016/02189-1; Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq; www.cnpq.br), grant numbers 472035/2011-8 and 308374/2016-9. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.