Epstein Barr virus is associated with several malignancies, most tightly with the epithelial cancer nasopharyngeal carcinoma. NPC demonstrates an intense leukocyte infiltration within the tumour tissue, mainly composed of T cells and macrophages and with the noted expression of interferon g, BLC, CD40, interleukin 1, several macro phage inflammatory and chemoattractant proteins and in a small number of cases CD30. The EBV oncogene encoding latent membrane pro tein 1 has been shown to upregulate a number of cytokines and chemokines in various epithelial sys tems, including LMP1 transfected epithelial cell lines and gene expression correlated with LMP1 in NPC biopsies. These factors include IL 6, IL 1b, IL 1a, CXCR4, RANTES, MCP1, IL 8 and IL 10. Up regulation of several factors by LMP1 has been shown to be mediated through its ability to activate NF B sig nalling.
NF B has a dual role in carcinogeneis, its expression selleck inhibitor in potentially malignant cells can prevent cell death, additionally, it is a prominent mediator of inflam mation, regulating the expression of pro inflammatory cytokines such as IL 1, IL 6, IL 8 and tumour necrosis factor a. In order to explore molecular and cellular processes in the very early stages of carcinogenesis, the link with chronic inflammation and the factors involved, we have used a transgenic mouse model of multistage epithelial carcinogenesis wherein LMP1, is expressed in epithelia. In this system we have previously shown that NF B is activated by LMP1 in vivo. In the present study we have gone on to characterise the inflammatory state in the effected transgenic skin and explored deregulated expression patterns, particu larly those of cytokines and chemokines.
The active role of adaptive immune cells in the inflammatory state in the model is demonstrated by the genetic removal of B and T cells using a RAG 1 null background, which lim its the pathology to an early stage. Results Inflammation in the transgenic tissue L2LMP1CAO supplier SB939 mice have been previously described and show a hyperplastic phenotype in the skin, which progres sively worsens as the mice age. The most striking pheno type presents in the hairless skin regions, particularly the ears of the mice. This preneoplastic phenotype has been categorised into five recognisable and predictable stages, from stage 1 showing mild hyperplasia with increased vascularisation to stage 5 displaying severe hyperplasia with necrosis and tissue degeneration, which can lead to acanthosis, hyperkeratosis and occa sional carcinoma. First, the inflammation status was assessed in the tissue by examining infiltrating cell types by immunohistochemistry. Ear tissue from L2LMP1CAO. 117 mice was analysed at stages 2 and 5, representing early and advanced pre neoplastic pathology and compared to aged matched controls.