IL-1R8 expression in DLBCL regulates NK cell recruitment and influences patient prognosis

The precise biological function of Interleukin-1 receptor 8 (IL-1R8) in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is still not well understood. Our goal is to decipher the profile of IL-1R8 expression status in DLBCL and to explore how IL-1R8 is involved in DLBCL progression. Utilizing a tissue microarray consisting of 70 samples of DLBCL tumors alongside 15 samples of tonsillitis, our investigation revealed a parallel expression profile of IL-1R8 between the tumor tissues and tonsillitis samples ( p > 0.05). Nevertheless, an intriguing association emerged, as heightened expression of IL-1R8 correlated significantly with unfavorable survival outcomes in patients with DLBCL ( p < 0.05). The status of IL-1R8 expression did not directly regulate proliferation ( p > 0.05) and apoptosis ( p > 0.05) in DLBCL cells via CCK8 and apoptotic assays. Subsequent chemotaxis analysis indicated that natural killer (NK) cell recruitment could be suppressed by IL-1R8 signaling in DLBCL, at least partially through CXCL1 inhibition ( p < 0.05). The status of IL-1R8 expression in tumor tissues exhibited a negative correlation with the density of CD57+ NK cell infiltration ( p < 0.05), while it did not demonstrate a significant association with CD3+ T cells ( p > 0.05), CD68+ macrophages ( p > 0.05), or S-100+ dendritic cells ( p > 0.05). In line with this observation, elevated levels of NK cell infiltration demonstrated a significant positive correlation with improved overall survival (OS) among patients diagnosed with DLBCL ( p < 0.05). Our data suggests the immuno-regulating potential of IL-1R8 through NK cell recruitment in DLBCL, providing novel insights into future immuno-modulating therapies. Graphical abstract