Abstract 1507: Iron upregulates HLA-G mRNA expression of the human MCF-7 breast cancer cell line.

Abstract

Abstract HLA-G is a nonclassical MHC Class I molecule that protects the fetus from the maternal immune system, and it also plays a role in immune evasion of cancer. Previously we have shown that iron can suppress the cytolytic function of natural killer cells to human breast cancer cell lines. We have found that breast cancer cells over express HLA-G mRNA and proteins in both cell lines and breast carcinomas. In order to determine if iron concentration affects HLA-G expression, we cultured the human breast cancer cell line MCF-7 in media with 100 mM, 400 mM, and 1600 mM of iron for 24 hours. We used RT-PCR to examine HLA-G mRNA expression of the MCF-7 cells. The PCR primers were designed so that they could detect all alternatively spliced HLA-G mRNA isoforms, 1000 bp (HLA-G1 and HLA-G5), 600 bp (HLA-G2 and HLA-G4), and 300 bp (HLA-G3). RT-PCR showed that the MCF-7 cells cultured with control medium only had one band of 300 bp mRNA expression. However, the MCF-7 cells cultured in medium containing 100 mM, 400 mM, and 1600 mM of iron had three bands of 300 bp, 600 bp, and 1000 bp HLA-G mRNA expression. Moreover, the intensity of the 300 bp band from the iron-treated MCF-7 cells is significantly higher than the cells cultured with control medium. In summary, iron upregulates the HLA-G mRNA expression of MCF-7 cells, and this probably contributes to cancer immunosuppression and to the cytolytic dysfunction of natural killer cells. Citation Format: Jonathan F. Head, Xian P. Jiang, Robert L. Elliott. Iron upregulates HLA-G mRNA expression of the human MCF-7 breast cancer cell line. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 1507. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-1507