Previous studies reported on interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta) production and IL-1 receptor type I (IL-1RI, signaling receptor) expression in human astrocytomas, and on IL-1beta action in astrocytoma cell lines.
We, therefore, examined the expression of IL-6, GM-CSF, and TNF-alpha in human primary astrocytes and astrocytoma cell lines U251 and 253 exposed to IL-1 in serum-free medium.
In particular, an astrocytoma cell line U373MG subclone responded markedly to IL-1 with high expression levels of IL-8 and MCAF mRNA as well as IL-6 mRNA.
In this report we describe a human astrocytoma cell line (T24) which produces IL-1 constitutively and upon induction with phorbol myristate acetate in vitro.