Cytokine-like 1 is involved in the growth and metastasis of neuroblastoma cells.

Cytokine-like 1 (CYTL1) was first identified in CD34+ cells derived from bone marrow and cord blood. The biological functions of CYTL1 remain largely unknown. Here, we reveal a relationship between CYTL1 expression and the biological characteristics of neuroblastoma (NB). The expression of CYTL1 was detected in 10 human tumor cell lines and human NB tissues by RT-PCR and real-time PCR. The inhibitory effect of CYTL1 knockdown on the proliferation, migration and invasion of SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cells was studied using the CCK-8 assay and Transwell chamber assays. Among the 10 human tumor cell lines that we examined, CYTL1 was expressed only in SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cells. Furthermore, we also observed high levels of CYTL1 expression in human NB tissues. When CYTL1 expression was blocked by siRNA, SH-SY5Y cells showed decreased proliferation, migration and invasion activities. Taken together, our results showed the first evidence of CYTL1 expression in SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells and human NB tissues, revealed a possible link between CYTL1 and NB development, and suggested CYTL1 as a potential therapeutic target and diagnosis biomarker for NB.