Polyps from LT<sup>het</sup> mice, <i>Stk11</i><sup>+/-</sup> mice, and human PJS patients display hallmarks of chronic inflammation, marked by inflammatory immune-cell infiltration, signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) activation, and increased expression of inflammatory factors associated with cancer progression [interleukin 6 (IL-6), IL-11, and CXCL2].
Gene expression analysis by microarray demonstrated that MDR1A deficiency shaped the inflammatory response towards an anti-tumorigenic microenvironment by downregulating genes known to be important mediators of cancer progression (PTGS2 (COX2), EREG, IL-11).
Here, we identify the IL-11 receptor α subunit (IL-11Rα) as a cell surface marker of tumor progression that correlates with poor prognosis in patients with osteosarcoma.
In conclusion, these results identify IL11 as an oxygen- and VHL-regulated gene and provide evidence of a pathway "hijacked" by hypoxic cancer cells that may contribute to tumor progression.
The interleukin11 (IL11) and IL11 receptor alpha (IL11RA) are involved in cellular growth, differentiation, invasiveness, and tumor progression in several tumors.