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SOCS-1 gene methylation is frequent but does not appear to have prognostic value in patients with multiple myeloma

Leukemia volume 17, pages 1678–1679 (2003)Cite this article

TO THE EDITOR

Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is an essential growth and survival factor for tumor cells in multiple myeloma (MM).1 Binding of IL-6 to its receptor results in the activation of the Jak/STAT signaling pathway.2 Suppressor of cytokine signaling 1 (SOCS-1) is a negative regulator of Jak/STAT signaling, which is simultaneously upregulated and blocks Jak activation, leading to termination or attenuation of the signal (negative feedback loop).3 Aberrant DNA methylation of CpG dinucleotides in normally unmethylated gene promoter regions is associated with the silencing of tumor suppressor genes in human malignancies.4 Aberrant methylation of SOCS-1 gene was initially shown in hepatocellular carcinoma.5 Recently, Galm et al6 found SOCS-1 gene hypermethylation in 23/35 (63.9%) MM patients, but only in 3.2% lymphoma and methylation was not detected in normal bone marrow cells and peripheral blood leukocytes.6 Silencing of SOCS-1 gene by methylation may allow uncontrolled proliferation of MM cells under IL-6 stimulation. In order to investigate the possible influence of SOCS-1 methylation on the clinical outcome of MM patients, we analyzed SOCS-1 gene methylation status using methylation-specific PCR (MSP) in a series of MM patients with long-term follow-up.

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  1. Unité INSERM 524, IRCL, Lille, France

    S Depil, A Saudemont & B Quesnel

  2. Service des Maladies du Sang, CHU de Lille, Lille, France

    S Depil, A Saudemont & B Quesnel

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  1. S Depil
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Depil, S., Saudemont, A. & Quesnel, B. SOCS-1 gene methylation is frequent but does not appear to have prognostic value in patients with multiple myeloma. Leukemia 17, 1678–1679 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.leu.2403012

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