RT-PCR detection of cytokine transcripts in a series of cultured human meningiomas.

The expression of cytokine transcripts has been investigated in a series of cultured human meningiomas using reverse transcriptase linked polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), which allowed simultaneous analysis of a range of cytokines. The main histological subgroups of meningioma were investigated; these included transitional, fibroblastic, and syncytial as well as atypical meningiomas. Meningiomas from each of the different histological subgroups were subjected to a standard tissue culture regime. Total RNA was extracted from representative cultures and reverse-transcribed to yield cDNA. PCR was performed using oligonucleotide primers designed to detect interleukin (IL)-1 alpha/beta to IL-8, transforming growth factor (TGF)beta 1-3, tumour necrosis factor (TNF)alpha/beta, and interferon (IFN)gamma. Transcripts for IL-3, IL-6, IL-8, and TGF beta 3 were detected in all cultures. Transcripts for the three isomers of TGF beta were expressed in the transitional and fibroblastic meningioma cells. TGF beta 2 and TGF beta 3 transcripts were expressed in the syncytial and TGF beta 1 and TGF beta 3 in the atypical meningioma cells. IL-1 beta transcripts were expressed in fibroblastic and atypical cultures and TNF beta transcripts were expressed in syncytial and transitional cultures only. Transcripts for IL-1 alpha, IL-2, IL-4, IL-5, IL-7, TNF alpha, or IFN gamma were not detected in any of the meningioma cultures. This investigation using cells cultured from a small number of tumours from each of the classic histological subtypes suggests that there is a distinct pattern of cytokine mRNA expression linked with histological classification.