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Updated: Aug 8, 2026

Multiplex Cytokine Profiling of Stimulated Mouse Splenocytes Using a Cytometric Bead-based Immunoassay Platform
Published on: November 9, 2017
Cytokine polymorphism and its possible impact on cancer
Ping Jin1, Monica C Panelli, Francesco M Marincola
1Immunogenetics Section, Department of Transfusion Medicine, Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
Abstract:
Human cancer is an unpredictable disease as is its response to therapy. The intrinsic genetic heterogeneity and instability of cancer cells could in part explain such behavior. However, it is possible that, individual variation in the genetic make-up of humans may affect the relationship between host and cancer cells and, therefore, be, at least in part responsible for this extraordinary variation. Human gene polymorphism has been shown indeed to play a role in immune responses; among the immune-related genes, cytokines are often polymorphic. Some polymorphisms of cytokine and cytokine receptor may have direct functional significance by altering directly and indirectly the level of gene expression and/or its function; other may only demarcate a genetic linkage to a particular haplotype associated with a given clinical condition. The majority of polymorphisms found in cytokines or their receptors are located in the promoter, intronic and 3' untranslated regions. These sequence variations can still affect gene expression and function. In this review will we summarize the current knowledge about the role of cytokine polymorphism in disease and more specifically in cancer.
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