Influences of interferon-alpha on expression of Th cytokines and CCR7 in dendritic cells from patients with chronic myeloid leukemia in vitro.

This study was aimed to investigate the influences of interferonalpha (IFN-alpha) on expressions of CCR7, interleukin10 (IL-10) and IL-12p70 in dendritic cells (DCs) from patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). In addition to stem cell factor (SCF), granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and IL-4, IFN-alpha was added to the serum-free medium of DCs. After culture for 10-14 days, phenotypes and function of CML-DCs were evaluated respectively by flow cytometry and methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay. Chromosome of DCs was analyzed by displaying G banding assay. The concentrations of IL-10 and IL-12P70 in supernatants were evaluated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The results showed that the expressions of CD40, CD83, CD86 and CCR7 and the OD value in allogeneic mixed-lymphocyte reaction (MLR) in group with IFN-alpha (300 U/ml) were twice as high as those in group without IFN-alpha. The percentage of Ph1 positive cells and concentrations of IL-10 and IL-12 P70 were reduced in group with IFN-alpha. It is concluded that the defective phenotypes and functions of CML-DCs can be recruited partly by IFN-alpha. The mechanism may lie in the facts that expression of CCR7 and co-stimulatory molecules is promoted and the inhibitory effect of IL-10 on CML-DCs is relieved partly through the regulation of IFN-alpha.