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Updated: Jul 13, 2026

A Syngeneic Mouse Model of Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma for Quantitative and Longitudinal Assessment of Preclinical Therapies
Published on: April 12, 2017
Increased interferon alpha receptor 2 mRNA levels is associated with renal cell carcinoma metastasis
Takao Kamai1, Yoshiaki Yanai, Kyoko Arai
1Department of Urology, Dokkyo Medical University, Tochigi, Japan. kamait@dokkyomed.ac.jp
Background:
Interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) is one of the central agents in immunotherapy for renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and binds to the IFN-alpha receptor (IFNAR). We investigated the role of IFNAR in RCC.
Methods:
We quantified IFNAR mRNA expression in paired tumor and non-tumor samples from the surgical specimens of 103 consecutive patients with RCC using a real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and IFNAR2 protein using Western blotting.
Results:
The absolute level of IFNAR1 and IFNAR2 mRNAs in tumor and non-tumor tissues did not correlate with the malignant and metastatic profiles. The relative yields of the PCR product from the tumor tissue to that from the corresponding non-tumor tissue (T/N) for the expression of IFNAR mRNAs were calculated. While the T/N ratio of IFNAR1 did not correlate with any factor, a high T/N ratio of IFNAR2 correlated with poor differentiation (P < 0.05), local invasion (P < 0.001), and metastasis (P < 0.0001). By multivariate analysis, a high T/N ratio of IFNAR2 predicted a shortened overall survival in all cases (P < 0.05) and a shorter disease-free survival in those without metastasis (M0; 68 cases, P < 0.05). Impressively, patients with a poorer response to IFN-alpha treatment had a higher IFNAR2 T/N ratio than those who had a good response (P < 0.05). IFNAR2c protein expression was higher in the primary tumors in patients with metastases (M1; 35 cases) compared to those without ( P < 0.0001).
Conclusion:
IFNAR2 is associated with the progression of RCC.
Insights
Interferon-alpha receptor 2 (IFNAR2) expression in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) correlates with tumor progression and poor patient survival. High IFNAR2 levels indicate a worse prognosis and reduced response to interferon-alpha immunotherapy.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Immunotherapy
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- Interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) is a key immunotherapy for renal cell carcinoma (RCC).
- The Interferon-alpha receptor (IFNAR) mediates IFN-alpha signaling.
- The specific role of IFNAR in RCC progression remained unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of IFNAR in the progression of renal cell carcinoma (RCC).
- To correlate IFNAR expression with clinical and pathological features of RCC.
- To assess the predictive value of IFNAR expression for treatment response and patient survival.
Main Methods:
- Quantified IFNAR mRNA and protein expression in 103 RCC patient samples using RT-PCR and Western blotting.
- Analyzed the correlation between IFNAR expression levels (T/N ratio) and clinicopathological factors.
- Performed multivariate analysis to determine the prognostic significance of IFNAR2 expression.
Main Results:
- A high tumor-to-non-tumor (T/N) ratio of IFNAR2 mRNA correlated with poor differentiation, local invasion, and metastasis.
- High IFNAR2 T/N ratio predicted shortened overall survival and disease-free survival in RCC patients.
- Elevated IFNAR2 T/N ratio was associated with poorer response to IFN-alpha therapy.
- Higher IFNAR2c protein expression was observed in primary tumors of patients with distant metastasis.
Conclusions:
- IFNAR2 expression is significantly associated with the progression of renal cell carcinoma (RCC).
- IFNAR2 serves as a potential biomarker for predicting prognosis and treatment response in RCC.
- Targeting IFNAR2 may offer new therapeutic strategies for advanced RCC.
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