Malignant T cells express lymphotoxin a and drive endothelial activation in cutaneous T cell lymphoma

Britt Lauenborg, Louise Christensen, Ulrik Ralfkiaer, Katharina L. Kopp, Lars Jønson, Sally Dabelsteen, Charlotte M. Bonefeld, Carsten Geisler, Lise Mette R. Gjerdrum, Qian Zhang, Mariusz A. Wasik, Elisabeth Ralfkiaer, Niels Ødum, Anders Woetmann

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

29 Scopus citations

Abstract

Lymphotoxin a (LTa) plays a key role in the formation of lymphatic vasculature and secondary lymphoid structures. Cutaneous T cell lymphoma (CTCL) is the most common primary lymphoma of the skin and in advanced stages, malignant T cells spreads through the lymphatic to regional lymph nodes to internal organs and blood. Yet, little is known about the mechanism of the CTCL dissemination. Here, we show that CTCL cells express LTa in situ and that LTa expression is driven by aberrantly activated JAK3/STAT5 pathway. Importantly, via TNF receptor 2, LTa functions as an autocrine factor by stimulating expression of IL-6 in the malignant cells. LTa and IL-6, together with VEGF promote angiogenesis by inducing endothelial cell sprouting and tube formation. Thus, we propose that LTa plays a role in malignant angiogenesis and disease progression in CTCL and may serve as a therapeutic target in this disease.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)15235-15249
Number of pages15
JournalOncotarget
Volume6
Issue number17
DOIs
StatePublished - 2015
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Angiogenesis
  • CTCL
  • LTA

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