IL-18 enhances SCF production of melanoma cells by regulating ROI and p38 MAPK activity

It has been reported that interleukin-18 (IL-18) is secreted by B16 murine melanoma cells and that this endogenous IL-18 is involved in the immune escape of murine melanoma cells. The present study investigated whether interleukin (IL)-18 can regulate stem cell factor (SCF) expression, known to be associated with melanocyte proliferation, in B16F10 murine melanoma cells. SCF expression was examined by RT-PCR, intracellular FACS analysis, and ELISA in IL-18 antisense transfectants. Transfection with IL-18 antisense cDNA reduced SCF expression and the expression was enhanced by addition of exogenous IL-18. In addition, the effect of IL-18 was blocked by the antioxidant, N-acetyl-l-cysteine (NAC), indicating that IL-18 regulates ROI production, which is involved in SCF production. Furthermore, inhibitors of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), such as SB203580, blocked enhanced SCF expression, indicating that p38 MAPK activity is required for IL-18-enhanced SCF production. Taken together, these results suggest that IL-18 plays a critical role as a regulatory factor of SCF expression via ROI and p38 MAPK activity in B16F10 murine melanoma cells.