Interleukins 4 and 13 upregulate expression of cd44 in human colonic epithelial cell lines

Interleukin 4 (IL-4) inhibits carcinoma cell growth and promotes expression of differentiation-associated products by normal and malignant epithelial cells. The effects of IL-4 and IL-13 on expression of the CD44 transmembrane adhesion receptor were examined in human epithelial cell lines of colonic (HT-29, CaCo-2, DLD-1, T84), breast (MCF-7, ZR75-1) and liver (Hep-G2, PLC/PRF/5) origins as well as mitogen-activated and resting peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) and T cell lines (Jurkat, HUT78). Liver and Jurkat cells were negative for CD44. Colonic, breast and HUT78 cells expressed CD44 constitutively and all except DLD-1 and HUT78 also expressed CD44 splice variant (CD44v) epitopes. All cell lines expressed IL-4 receptors, but IL-4 and IL-13 induced upregulation of CD44 only in the colonic cell lines. CD44v was also upregulated, but there was no de novo induction of CD44v in variant-negative cells and no de novo expression of CD44 in the CD44(-) lines. CD44 upregulation in mitogen-activated PBL was not increased by IL-4 and IL-13 and was not inhibited by neutralizing antibodies. Other cytokines tested [interferon gamma (IFN-gamma, tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), transforming growth factor beta1 (TGF-beta1) and IL-6] did not affect CD44 core epitope expression in the cell lines tested.