Interestingly, there are reports that bronchial epithelial cells can express IL-6 (Takizawa et al, 1996), and that IL-6 can act as a paracrine growth in breast cancer cell lines, which can upregulate both the soluble IL-6R and membrane bound IL-6R (Chiu et al, 1996). The gene discussed is IL6R; the disease is breast carcinoma.