Abstract
Interleukin (IL)-4 and -13 are structurally and functionally related cytokines sharing common receptor subunits. They regulate immune responses and, moreover, are involved in the pathogenesis of a variety of human neoplasms. Three different receptors have been described for IL-4, but only IL-4 receptor type II (IL-4Rα/IL-13Rα1) is expressed in solid tumors. While IL-13 can also bind to three different receptors, IL-13 receptor type I (IL-4Rα/IL-13Rα1/IL-13Rα2) and type II (IL-4Rα/IL-13Rα1) are expressed in solid tumors. After receptor binding, IL-4 and IL-13 can mediate tumor cell proliferation, survival, and metastasis in gastric or colon cancer. This review summarizes the results about the role of IL-4/IL-13 and their receptors in gastric and colon cancer.
Highlights
Gastric cancer (GC) and colon and rectal cancer (CRC) are common malignancies of the digestive system [1,2]
More and more evidence has been provided in recent years that interleukin-4 (IL-4), interleukin-13 (IL-13), and their receptors play an important role in cancer cell proliferation and other biological behaviors, such as migration and invasion enhancing the malignant phenotype [10,11,12]
IL-4 and IL-13 are involved in the crosstalk with the tumor microenvironment (TME) by activating tumor-associated macrophages and myeloid-derived suppressor cells, which have tumor promoting functions [16,17]
Summary
Gastric cancer (GC) and colon and rectal cancer (CRC) are common malignancies of the digestive system [1,2]. Alternative or additional treatment strategies especially for advanced tumor stages are desperately needed to overcome drug resistance, enhance chemosensitivity, inhibit tumor cell proliferation, and induce apoptosis in order to further improve outcome [1,2,5,6,7,8,9]. More and more evidence has been provided in recent years that interleukin-4 (IL-4), interleukin-13 (IL-13), and their receptors play an important role in cancer cell proliferation and other biological behaviors, such as migration and invasion enhancing the malignant phenotype [10,11,12]. IL-4/IL-13 and their receptors have been associated with apoptosis, chemosensitivity, and prognosis in various cancers [13,14,15]. The aim of this review was to summarize the current information about the role of IL-4/IL-13 and their receptors in GC and CRC
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