Th22 cells promote cervical cancer progression by releasing IL-22 to activate the AKT pathway

XUAN Xiuyun; ZHANG Yue; LEI Bo; FAN Weiping

doi:10.13431/j.cnki.immunol.j.20170150

Abstract：It has been reported that IL-22 and Th22 lymphocytes play an important role in many tumor types,however whether they play a role in cervical cancer (CC) remains unclear.To investigate the expression and clinical relevance of IL-22 and IL-22-producing Th22 cells in CC tissues,IL-22 protein levels in CC tissues were measured by Western blot and immunohistochemistry,the frequencies of Th22 cells in tumor tissues and peripheral blood from CC patients and healthy controls were analyzed by flow cytometry,and the association between IL-22 and phosphorylation of AKT were investigated.Data showed that IL-22 protein level was significantly higher in CC tissues than that in peri-tumor tissues and normal cervical tissues.Furthermore,the IL-22 level at Ⅲ-Ⅳ stage of CC tissues was markedly higher than that at Ⅰ-Ⅱ stage;the Th22 frequency in tumor-filtrating lymphocytes was much higher than those in PBMC of CC patients and normal controls,which correlated with CC clinical staging.Th22 cells were the main cell source of IL-22 in CC tissues.In addition,cell co-culture assay indicated that IL-22 promoted CC cell survival by inducing anti-apoptosis pathway through increasing p-AKT level.Results suggest that IL-22 and Th22 cells are related to CC cell survival,possible through activating AKT pathway,and thus might be potential therapeutic targets for patients with CC.