Analyses of the Interleukin32 Transcript Variants in Breast Cancer Cell Lines

Recent data show the IL32 gene has at least nine transcript variants. The aim of this current study is to characterize the different transcript variants based on the latest sequencing data deposited in the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) and determine which variants are responsible for the differential pattern of gene expression previously observed in MCF7 compared to MDA MB231 cell lines. Analyses of the nine transcript variants showed their sequences were incredibly similar. Other than variant 9, all of the variants differed from variant 1 by deletions. PCR analyses showed that the longer transcript variants contributed more to differential gene expression observed in the MDA MB231 compared to MCF7 cell lines. Because of the similarities between the variant sequences, when determining differential expression in the breast cell lines, investigators should consider strategies that target analyses of a combination of the longer IL32 transcript variants.