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Isolating Human Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells and CD4+ T cells from Sézary Syndrome Patients for Transcriptomic Profiling
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mu-Opioid receptor is induced by IL-13 within lymph nodes from patients with Sézary syndrome

Alan Bénard1, Pierre Cavaillès, Jérôme Boué

  • 1INSERM U563, Centre de Physiopathologie de Toulouse-Purpan, Toulouse, France.

The Journal of Investigative Dermatology
|January 29, 2010
PubMed

Insights

In Sézary lymphoma, mu-opioid receptor (MOR) is expressed in lymph nodes, not on malignant T cells. Interleukin-13 (IL-13) induces MOR in normal immune cells, suggesting a mechanism for immune suppression.

Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Oncology

Background:

  • Endogenous opioid peptides, produced by neurons and immune cells, interact with opioid receptors.
  • Mu-opioid receptor (MOR) mediates negative effects of opioids on immunity.
  • MOR is typically absent in normal immune cells but may be expressed in pathological conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • Investigate MOR expression in lymphomas.
  • Determine if cytokines induce MOR expression in immune cells.
  • Elucidate the role of MOR and IL-13 in immune modulation within lymphomas.

Main Methods:

  • Examined mRNA expression of opioid receptors in lymph node biopsies from lymphoma patients.
  • Compared MOR expression in normal immune cells versus lymphoma tissues.
  • Investigated the effect of IL-13 on MOR expression in normal immune cell subsets.

Main Results:

  • MOR and enkephalin were co-expressed almost exclusively in lymph nodes of Sézary cutaneous T-cell lymphoma patients.
  • MOR was undetectable in circulating Sézary cells and normal immune cells.
  • IL-13 was found to upregulate MOR expression in activated Langerhans cells.

Conclusions:

  • MOR expression in lymph nodes during Sézary lymphoma is associated with the tumor microenvironment.
  • IL-13 may induce MOR expression on non-neoplastic immune cells, potentially leading to immune suppression.
  • This suggests a pathological pathway where endogenous opioids down-modulate immune responses in specific cancer contexts.

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