Search

IL-4 suppresses the IFN-gamma-induced expression of the IFN regulatory factor-1 (IRF-1) gene, and this suppression is attenuated by increasing the amount of IFN-gamma. The effects of IFN-gamma and IL-4 on transcription of a reporter gene under control of a 1.3-kb fragment from the IRF-1 gene promoter or the STAT binding element (SBE) from this gene in the context of a heterologous promoter are similar to their effects on the endogenous IRF-1 gene. IFN-gamma-dependent transcription of reporter gene is suppressed by IL-4, but IL-4 alone has no trans-activating function. IL-4 treatment does not inhibit the tyrosine phosphorylation or nuclear translocation of IFN-gamma-activated STAT1. Rather, IFN-gamma and IL-4 independently activate STAT1 and STAT6, respectively, and both proteins bind to the IRF-1 SBE in homodimeric form. The affinity of STAT1 for the IRF-1 SBE is higher than the affinity of STAT6, as measured by competition with unlabeled oligonucleotide. These observations suggest that IL-4 may suppress IFN-gamma-stimulated transcription of the IRF-1 gene by activation of STAT6, which can compete with STAT1 for occupancy of the IRF-1 SBE when STAT1 levels are low. Suppression may be attenuated as the quantity of STAT1 relative to that of STAT6 increases in cells treated with increasing amounts of IFN-gamma and displaces STAT6.

LPS induces the expression of the gene encoding the type II TNF-alpha receptor in mononuclear phagocytes. To elucidate the nuclear signaling mechanisms involved in this response, a 772-bp fragment of the TNFRII gene promoter was analyzed by deletion and site-specific mutagenesis following transient transfection in the macrophage-like cell line RAW264.7. A region located between -100 and -75 relative to the transcription start site was found to be essential for LPS sensitivity. This contained a GC-rich region composed of two tandemly arrayed Sp-1 sites. While mutation of this region confirmed that it was essential for LPS sensitivity, the sequence was not able to confer LPS sensitivity upon a heterologous promoter. Internal deletion and site-specific mutagenesis of the 100-bp fragment identified regions immediately flanking an initiator region (Inr) site that were also necessary for sensitivity to LPS. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays demonstrated that the GC box bound Sp-1 and Sp-3, although the level of binding activity did not vary with LPS stimulation. An oligonucleotide probe containing nucleotide positions -45 to -18 also bound several protein complexes, but these were not enhanced by LPS. These findings indicate that the tandem GC box is necessary, but not sufficient, for LPS-mediated transcription of the TNFRII gene. A second apparently novel motif, located within 15 nucleotides of the Inr, is also necessary.

IL-4 alone or in cooperation with LPS can induce the expression of the gene encoding the secreted-type IL-1 receptor antagonist (sIL-1ra) in mononuclear phagocytes. To determine the nuclear signaling mechanisms involved in this response, the region flanking the transcription start site of the human sIL-1ra gene was placed upstream of the luciferase reporter gene, and the function of specific sequence elements was analyzed following transient transfection in the macrophage-like cell line RAW264.7. A region located between -250 and -200 bases relative to the transcription start site was necessary for response to IL-4 alone and for cooperation between IL-4 and LPS. This 50-bp region contains two inverted repeat elements that represent potential binding sites for members of the signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) gene family (STAT-binding elements (SBEs)). Site-directed mutagenesis of the distal SBE abolished IL-4 responsiveness, and multiple copies of this motif were able to confer IL-4 sensitivity to luciferase expression in the context of a heterologous (herpes virus thymidine kinase) promoter. Mutation of the proximal SBE in the intact IL-1ra promoter had little or no effect on response to IL-4, and this sequence motif was inactive when examined alone. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays using an oligonucleotide corresponding to the distal SBE identified a single binding activity that was detected in nuclei within 15 min of IL-4 treatment and that was recognized by Ab to STAT6. These results indicate that IL-4-induced STAT6 is required for IL-4-induced transcriptional activation of the sIL-1ra gene.

The mouse KC gene is an alpha-chemokine gene whose transcription is induced in mononuclear phagocytes by LPS. DNA sequences necessary for transcriptional control of KC by LPS were identified in the region flanking the transcription start site. Transient transfection analysis in macrophages using deletion mutants of a 1.5-kb sequence placed in front of the chloramphenicol acetyl transferase (CAT) gene identified an LPS-responsive region between residues -104 and +30. This region contained two kappa B sequence motifs. The first motif (position -70 to -59, kappa beta 1) is highly conserved in all three human GRO genes and in the mouse macrophage inflammatory protein-2 (MIP-2) gene. The second kappa B motif (position -89 to -78, kappa B2) was conserved only between the mouse and the rat KC genes. Consistent with previous reports, the highly conserved kappa B site (kappa B1) was essential for LPS inducibility. Surprisingly, the distal kappa B site (kappa B2) was also necessary for optimal response; mutation of either kappa B site markedly reduced sensitivity to LPS in RAW264.7 cells and to TNF-alpha in NIH 3T3 fibroblasts. Although both kappa B1 and kappa B2 sequences were able to bind members of the Rel homology family, including NF kappa B1 (P50), RelA (65), and c-Rel, the kappa B1 site bound these factors with higher affinity and functioned more effectively than the kappa B2 site in a heterologous promoter. These findings demonstrate that transcriptional control of the KC gene requires cooperation between two kappa B sites and is thus distinct from that of the three human GRO genes and the mouse MIP-2 gene.

The present study investigates mechanisms involved in cooperation between IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha to promote transcription from the IP-10 gene in NIH 3T3 cells. IFN-gamma synergistically enhanced TNF-alpha-induced levels of IP-10 mRNA, whereas levels of JE (MCP-1) or KC (GRO/MGSA) mRNA induced by TNF-alpha were unaffected by IFN-gamma. The cooperation between IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha for induction of IP-10 mRNA was independent of de novo protein synthesis and mediated at least in part by increased transcription. Transient transfection analysis with a 243-bp fragment flanking the transcription start site of the murine IP-10 gene indicated that synergy between the two stimuli was dependent upon occupancy of at least two of three critical regulatory sequence elements: an IFN-stimulated response element (ISRE) and one of two kappa B sites. IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha independently activated nuclear factors capable of specific interaction with the ISRE and kappa B sites, respectively. IFN-gamma induced two ISRE binding complexes, one of which was protein synthesis independent, appeared within 15 min of stimulation, and contained p91 or signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) 1. TNF-alpha induced only one ISRE binding activity, which was dependent upon protein synthesis. TNF-alpha also induced kappa B binding activity that was composed of NF-kappa B1 (p50) and RelA (p65) whereas IFN-gamma had no detectable effect on kappa B binding activity. Together these results indicate that the highly synergistic transcriptional activation of the IP-10 gene by IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha involves the cooperation between factors that are independently activated by the two stimuli and that bind to independent sites.

The potential role of the inhibitory protein (I)-kappa B alpha gene in control of LPS-dependent transcription has been investigated in the murine macrophage cell line RAW 264.7. LPS-induced transcription in macrophages is believed to involve activation of members of the Rel homology family of transcription factors, and may be negatively regulated by cytoplasmic inhibitor proteins collectively termed I-kappa Bs. To evaluate the role of I-kappa Bs in LPS-stimulated macrophages, murine I-kappa B alpha (ml-kappa B alpha) has been expressed as a glutathione-S-transferase (GST) fusion protein and examined for its ability to control kappa B binding activities in nuclear extracts from LPS-treated RAW 264.7 macrophages. ml-kappa B alpha-GST inhibited LPS-induced kappa B binding activity from RAW 264.7 cells in a phosphorylation-dependent fashion, but did not affect IFN-alpha-induced IFN stimulus response element binding. Recombinant I-kappa B alpha inhibited kappa B motif binding by nuclear factor-kappa B1, RelA, and c-Rel as indicated by studies using UV radiation-induced covalent cross-linking to a bromodeoxyuridine-substituted kappa B oligonucleotide. Transfection of macrophages with an expression vector encoding ml-kappa B alpha inhibited LPS-stimulated transcription driven by a 243-bp promoter sequence obtained from the 5' flanking region of the murine IP-10 gene. This promoter sequence contains two kappa B motifs that have been shown to be critical to LPS-dependent reporter gene transcription. The kappa B sites seem to be the specific target of I-kappa B alpha function, as reporter gene transcription driven by these motifs in the context of a heterologous thymidine-kinase promoter (TK) also was inhibited by co-transfection with ml-kappa B alpha. These observations indicate that ml-kappa B alpha is capable of controlling kappa B-dependent transcription in LPS-stimulated murine macrophages.

The mechanisms involved in negative regulation of IFN-gamma-induced IP-10 mRNA expression by IL-4 have been examined in an immortalized murine macrophage cell line (ANA-1). As in primary peritoneal macrophages, IL-4 selectively inhibits the production of IP-10 mRNA by IFN-gamma-treated ANA-1 cells. Expression of another IFN-gamma-inducible gene (D3) was not affected by co-treatment with IL-4. Suppression of IFN-gamma-induced IP-10 mRNA expression by IL-4 is mediated at the level of transcription. IFN-gamma-induced transcription of CAT expression driven by a 243-bp IP-10 promoter fragment was also sensitive to the suppressive effects of IL-4. In contrast, LPS-induced CAT expression was unaffected under identical experimental conditions. The positive transcriptional response to IFN-gamma required an interferon stimulus response element (ISRE) sequence motif located approximately 230 bp upstream from the transcription start site of the IP-10 gene. That this site is the target of the suppressive action of IL-4 is indicated by the ability of IL-4 to inhibit IFN-gamma-mediated transcription from this ISRE sequence in the context of a heterologous promoter. Finally, both IFN-gamma and IL-4 can enhance or induce expression of distinct nuclear factors that exhibit ISRE-specific binding activity. IL-4 does not suppress the IFN-gamma-induced ISRE binding activity. Together, these findings demonstrate that IL-4 inhibits IP-10 mRNA production in murine macrophages by suppressing the formation of new transcripts. Both positive and negative transcriptional activity appears dependent on activation of factors that recognize the ISRE.

IFN-gamma and LPS have both been shown to stimulate enhanced chemoattractant cytokine gene expression in mononuclear phagocytes. In this report, IFN-gamma was found to suppress LPS-induced chemokine mRNA expression in a cell type- and gene-specific fashion. Expression of JE (monocyte chemoattractant protein-1) and KC (GRO/melanoma growth-stimulating activity) mRNA in macrophages stimulated with LPS was markedly suppressed by IFN-gamma in a dose- and time-dependent fashion. LPS-induced IP-10 mRNA was unaffected by IFN-gamma under identical experimental conditions. This effect was cell type-specific because JE and KC mRNA expression in LPS-stimulated murine endothelial cells, TNF-alpha-stimulated endothelial cells, and NIH-3T3 cells were unaffected by IFN-gamma. The IFN-gamma-mediated suppression of LPS-stimulated KC mRNA expression was independent of protein synthesis and mediated at the transcriptional level. These observations indicate that IFN-gamma may function as a negative regulatory signal for the expression of some proinflammatory cytokines in macrophages. The cell type-dependent differential behavior of individual members of the chemokine family may be an important determinant of the cellular composition and outcome of an inflammatory response.

The role of Ca2+ and Calmodulin in regulating LPS-induced cytokine gene expression in murine peritoneal macrophages has been investigated. Treatment of macrophages with three structurally distinct antagonists of Calmodulin (Trifluoperazine, N-(6-aminohexyl)-5-chloro-1-napthalenesulfonamide, and 1,3-dihydro-1-(-((4-mentyl-4H,6H-pyrrolo(1,2-a) (4,1)-benzoxazepin-4-yl)methyl)-4-peperidinyl)-2H-benzimi dazol-2-one) resulted in a characteristic modulation of the expression of three LPS-inducible cytokine genes: IL-1 alpha mRNA levels were only modestly reduced, IL-1 beta mRNA levels were markedly suppressed and IP-10 mRNA levels were increased. The same pattern of modulation was seen when LPS-stimulated cells were also treated with two different Ca2+ antagonists (8-(diethylamono)-octyl-3,4,5-trimethoxybenzoate hydrochloride and bis-(o-amonophenoxy)-ethane-N,N,N'N'-tetraacetic acid). Although the suppression of IL-1 beta mRNA accumulation by N-(6-amonohexyl)-5-chloro-1-napthalene-sulfonamide or bis-(o-amonophenoxy)ethane-N,N,N'N'-tetraacetic acid occurred even if the antagonist was added after LPS, the potentiation of IP-10 mRNA levels required the use of the agent before or along with the LPS stimulus. Elevation of intracellular Ca2+ using ionomycin did not initaite cytokine gene expression and thus changes in Ca2+ cannot replace the LPS-initiated signal. Furthermore, removal of extracellular Ca2+ did not block the response to LPS. Calmodulin antagonists selectively increased the transcriptional activity of the IP-10 gene but decreased the stability of all three mRNA measured. Thus the mechanisms involved in Ca2+/Calmodulin control of macrophage gene expression are multifactorial and contribute to the diversity of macrophage inflammatory behavior. In concert with previous reports, the present results indicate that Ca2+, acting through Calmodulin may be a necessary but insufficient component of the signalling process that mediates intracellular response to LPS. Agents that alter intracellular Ca2+ levels without inducing cytokine gene expression may thereby indirectly regulate inflammation.

The influence of PGE2 and the consequent rise in intracellular cAMP on LPS-induced IL-1 alpha and IL-1 beta mRNA levels has been examined in murine peritoneal macrophages. As has been previously reported, neither PGE2 nor dibutyryl cAMP modulated the levels of LPS-induced IL-1 alpha mRNA. In contrast, the levels of IL-1 beta mRNA were markedly potentiated (greater than 10 fold) under the same experimental conditions. This effect was due to elevation of intracellular cAMP because other agents known to elevate cAMP levels (e.g., cholera toxin, forskolin, 1-isomethyl-3-isobutylxanthine) had the same selective effect on IL-1 beta mRNA levels. PGE2 and dBcAMP not only potentiated LPS-induced IL-1 beta mRNA levels but were also able to stimulate modest accumulation of IL-1 beta mRNA in the absence of LPS. Although measurement of IL-1 activity by bioassay suggested that dBcAMP and PGE2 could suppress LPS-induced IL-1 expression, levels of IL-1 protein, determined by radioreceptor assay, were markedly elevated. cAMP did not appreciably alter the stability of either IL-1 alpha or IL-1 beta mRNA. Instead dBcAMP independently stimulated the transcriptional activity of the IL-1 beta gene. In concert the results demonstrate that cAMP can modulate the response of mononuclear phagocytes to LPS in a complex pattern; gene expression may be unaltered, suppressed, or potentiated and will thereby affect both the quality and magnitude of the ensuing inflammatory response.

We have recently described the isolation and characterization of a set of cDNA encoding genes whose expression is induced or enhanced in murine peritoneal macrophages by treatment with LPS. In the present report we have analyzed the expression of the mRNA which hybridize with these cDNA probes in macrophages treated with other cytokines known to modulate functional activity. Three distinct patterns of expression have been documented. Two genes (D3 and C7) are inducible by LPS, IFN-gamma, and IFN-beta; D3 is comparably sensitive to all three, whereas C7 is more sensitive to LPS and IFN-gamma than to IFN-beta. The mRNA encoded by D8 is expressed in response to LPS and IFN-beta but not in response to IFN-gamma. Finally the gene encoded by D5 is inducible only in cells treated with LPS. The expression of all three cytokine-inducible mRNA was both dose and time dependent and was mediated by increased transcriptional activity of the genes. As with stimulation by LPS, the expression induced by IFN was independent of protein synthesis and occurred in a rapid and transient fashion. TNF-alpha had little or no detectable effect on any of the genes by themselves. The expression of C7, however, could be induced synergistically by treatment with a combination of TNF-alpha and either IFN-gamma of IFN-beta. The expression of these genes was not specific for macrophages as both IFN were able to induce a comparable pattern of gene expression in BALB/c 3T3 cells. Treatment of macrophages with dexamethasone inhibited LPS-induced C7 and D8 expression but did not affect that seen in response to IFN-gamma or IFN-beta, respectively. The results suggest that IFN and LPS act to modulate early gene expression by the generation of at least three overlapping but distinct signaling pathways. In some cases the pathway(s) which mediate response to LPS appear to be mechanistically distinct from those which mediate response to IFN-beta or IFN-gamma. The spectrum of stimuli and cell types which express these and other early genes suggest that they may play an important role in orchestration of the inflammatory response.