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The transcription factor NF-kappaB is an important regulator of homeostatic growth and inflammation. Although gene-targeting studies have revealed important roles for NF-kappaB, they have been complicated by component redundancy and lethal phenotypes. To examine the role of NF-kappaB in endothelial tissues, Tie2 promoter/enhancer-IkappaBalpha(S32A/S36A) transgenic mice were generated. These mice grew normally but exhibited enhanced sensitivity to LPS-induced toxemia, notable for an increase in vascular permeability and apoptosis. Moreover, B16-BL6 tumors grew significantly more aggressively in transgenic mice, underscoring a new role for NF-kappaB in the homeostatic response to cancer. Tumor vasculature in transgenic mice was extensive and disorganized. This correlated with a marked loss in tight junction formation and suggests that NF-kappaB plays an important role in the maintenance of vascular integrity and response to stress.

We used the intragastric feeding rat model for alcoholic liver disease to evaluate the relationship among intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) expression, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), plasma endotoxin, and inflammatory changes in the liver. Rats were fed different dietary fats (saturated fat, corn oil, and fish oil) with ethanol; control rats were fed isocaloric amounts of dextrose instead of ethanol. At sacrifice the following were evaluated: liver pathologic changes, TNF-alpha mRNA by reverse transcription-PCR, plasma endotoxin, and ICAM-1 by immunohistochemistry and immunoblot analysis. Upregulation of ICAM-1 in endothelial lining cells in central and portal veins was observed in rats showing evidence of pathologic changes. Rats fed fish oil and ethanol, which exhibited the most severe inflammation, also showed hepatocyte ICAM-1 staining. The presence of ICAM-1 staining, in general, correlated with the level of TNF-alpha mRNA expression and plasma endotoxin levels. Upregulation of ICAM-1 in rats fed ethanol may contribute to the inflammatory changes seen in this model. The association between ICAM-1 upregulation and endotoxin and TNF-alpha mRNA suggests a role for these mediators in the inflammatory process in alcoholic liver injury.

In order to examine the regulation of cytokine receptor gene expression an RNase protection assay (RPA) was developed that allows the simultaneous and semiquantitative measurement of mRNAs encoding for the IL-1 p60 and p80, TNF p55 and p75, IFN-gamma, and IL-6 receptors. Titration experiments revealed that this method was very sensitive allowing the detection of the target cytokine receptor mRNAs down to at least 0.01 microgram of spleen poly(A)+ RNA. The cytokine receptor RPA was used to examine the expression of the receptor genes in various organs from normal mice and mice that had been injected with LPS. In normal mice expression of the IL-1R p80, TNFR p55 and p75, IFN-gamma, and IL-6R but not the IL-1R p60 transcripts was readily detectable in spleen, liver, kidney, and brain. Following LPS treatment, there was an induction of the IL-1R p60 mRNA in all organs and an up-regulation of the IL-1R p80, TNFR p55 and p75, IFN-gamma, and IL-6 receptor mRNAs particularly in spleen, liver, and kidney. Interorgan differences were observed in the regulation of these receptor mRNAs, indicating an organ-specific response to the LPS challenge. Our findings indicate the cytokine receptor RPA is a powerful and versatile tool for the simultaneous analysis of multiple cytokine receptor mRNAs in tissue samples. This technique will prove valuable in further evaluating the coordinated regulation of the expression of these genes, which are pivotal in the biology of cytokines.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)