Regulation of interleukin 6 in multiple myeloma and bone marrow stromal cells.

We and others have shown that some freshly isolated multiple myeloma (MM) cells and derived cell lines express interleukin 6 (IL-6) receptors and proliferate in vitro in response to IL-6; a subset of MM cells also expresses IL-6 mRNA, is intracytoplasmic IL-6 positive and secretes IL-6. We have shown that MM cells express the cell surface adhesion molecules CD29/CDw49d(VLA-4), CD18/CD11a(LFA-1) and CD44, and may localize to marrow via specific adherence to both extracellular matrix proteins and to bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs). MM cell adhesion triggers IL-6 secretion by normal and MM BMSCs and related IL-6-mediated tumor cell growth. Our attempts to block MM cell adhesion to BMSC-induced IL-6 secretion by using antibodies to CD29/CDw49d, CD18/11a, and/or CD44 demonstrated minimal effects, suggesting that another ligand-receptor interaction triggers IL-6 secretion when MM cells and BMSCs are juxtaposed. Both MM cells and BMSCs express CD40. Triggering of MM cells and BMSCs via CD40 upregulates IL-6 secretion in both MM cells and MM-derived cell lines, as well as BMSCs and BMSC lines, suggesting the possibility of both autocrine and paracrine MM cell growth triggered via CD40. Finally, experiments using the LP 101 BMSC line transiently transfected with IL-6 promoter fragments linked to chloramphenicol acetyltransferase reporter gene demonstrate that adhesion of MM cells induces IL-6 gene transcription in BMSCs, which is conferred via the NF-kappa B binding motif.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)