Quantitative metabolomics of a xylose-utilizing Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain expressing the Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron xylose isomerase on glucose and xylose.

The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae cannot utilize xylose, but the introduction of a xylose isomerase that functions well in yeast will help overcome the limitations of the fungal oxido-reductive pathway. In this study, a diploid S. cerevisiae S288c[2n YMX12] strain was constructed expressing the Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron xylA (XI) and the Scheffersomyces stipitis xyl3 (XK) and the changes in the metabolite pools monitored over time. Cultivation on xylose generally resulted in gradual changes in metabolite pool size over time, whereas more dramatic fluctuations were observed with cultivation on glucose due to the diauxic growth pattern. The low G6P and F1,6P levels observed with cultivation on xylose resulted in the incomplete activation of the Crabtree effect, whereas the high PEP levels is indicative of carbon starvation. The high UDP-D-glucose levels with cultivation on xylose indicated that the carbon was channeled toward biomass production. The adenylate and guanylate energy charges were tightly regulated by the cultures, while the catabolic and anabolic reduction charges fluctuated between metabolic states. This study helped elucidate the metabolite distribution that takes place under Crabtree-positive and Crabtree-negative conditions when cultivating S. cerevisiae on glucose and xylose, respectively.

Monitoring the ripening process of Cheddar cheese based on hydrophilic component profiling using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.

We proposed an application methodology that combines metabolic profiling with multiple appropriate multivariate analyses and verified it on the industrial scale of the ripening process of Cheddar cheese to make practical use of hydrophilic low-molecular-weight compound profiling using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry to design optimal conditions and quality monitoring of the cheese ripening process. Principal components analysis provided an overview of the effect of sodium chloride content and kind of lactic acid bacteria starter on the metabolic profile in the ripening process of Cheddar cheese and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis unveiled the difference in characteristic metabolites. When the sodium chloride contents were different (1.6 and 0.2%) but the same lactic acid bacteria starter was used, the 2 cheeses were classified by orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis from their metabolic profiles, but were not given perfect discrimination. Not much difference existed in the metabolic profile between the 2 cheeses. Compounds including lactose, galactose, lactic acid, 4-aminobutyric acid, and phosphate were identified as contents that differed between the 2 cheeses. On the other hand, in the case of the same salt content of 1.6%, but different kinds of lactic acid bacteria starter, an excellent distinctive discrimination model was obtained, which showed that the difference of lactic acid bacteria starter caused an obvious difference in metabolic profiles. Compounds including lactic acid, lactose, urea, 4-aminobutyric acid, galactose, phosphate, proline, isoleucine, glycine, alanine, lysine, leucine, valine, and pyroglutamic acid were identified as contents that differed between the 2 cheeses. Then, a good sensory prediction model for "rich flavor," which was defined as "thick and rich, including umami taste and soy sauce-like flavor," was constructed based on the metabolic profile during ripening using partial least squares regression analysis. The amino acids proline, leucine, valine, isoleucine, pyroglutamic acid, alanine, glutamic acid, glycine, lysine, tyrosine, serine, phenylalanine, methionine, aspartic acid, and ornithine were extracted as ripening process markers. The present study is not limited to Cheddar cheese and can be applied to various maturation-type natural cheeses. This study provides the technical platform for designing optimal conditions and quality monitoring of the cheese ripening process.

Prediction of Periodontal Inflammation via Metabolic Profiling of Saliva.

Periodontal disease is characterized by chronic inflammation in subgingival areas, where a vast array of inflammation-associated metabolites are likely produced from tissue breakdown, increased vascular permeability, and microbial metabolism and then eventually show a steady flow into saliva. Thus, prolonged periodontal inflammation is a key feature of disease activity. Although salivary metabolomics has drawn attention for its potential use in diagnosis of periodontal disease, few authors have used that to investigate periodontal inflammation detection. In this pilot study, the authors explored the use of salivary metabolites to reflect periodontal inflammation severity with a recently proposed parameter-periodontal inflamed surface area (PISA)-used to quantify the periodontal inflammatory burden of individual patients with high accuracy. Following PISA determination, whole saliva samples were collected from 19 subjects before and after removal of supragingival plaque and calculus (debridement) with an ultrasonic scaler to assess the influence of the procedure on salivary metabolic profiles. Metabolic profiling of saliva was performed with gas chromatography coupled to time-of-flight mass spectrometry, followed by multivariate regression analysis with orthogonal projections to latent structures (OPLS) to investigate the relationship between PISA and salivary metabolic profiles. Sixty-three metabolites were identified. OPLS analysis showed that postdebridement saliva provided a more refined model for prediction of PISA than did predebridement samples, which indicated that debridement may improve detection of metabolites eluted from subgingival areas in saliva, thus more accurately reflecting the pathophysiology of periodontitis. Based on the variable importance in the projection values obtained via OPLS, 8 metabolites were identified as potential indicators of periodontal inflammation, of which the combination of cadaverine, 5-oxoproline, and histidine yielded satisfactory accuracy (area under the curve = 0.881) for diagnosis of periodontitis. The authors' findings identified potential biomarkers that may be useful for reflecting the severity of periodontal inflammation as part of monitoring disease activity in periodontitis patients.

Oxidative stress increases MICA and MICB gene expression in the human colon carcinoma cell line (CaCo-2).

The human major histocompatibility complex class I chain-related A gene (MICA) and the MICB gene are newly identified members of the major histocompatibility complex class I chain-related gene family. We demonstrate here that oxidative stress, induced by H(2)O(2), promoted MICA (2.2-fold) and MICB (3.8-fold) gene expression using the human colon carcinoma cell line (CaCo-2) and semi-quantitative RT-PCR.

Contribution of two missense mutations (G71R and Y486D) of the bilirubin UDP glycosyltransferase (UGT1A1) gene to phenotypes of Gilbert's syndrome and Crigler-Najjar syndrome type II.

In our mutation analyses of bilirubin UDP glycosyltransferase (UGT1A1) gene, we encountered six patients with Crigler-Najjar syndrome type II who were double homozygotes for G71R and Y486D, a patient with Gilbert's syndrome who was a single homozygote for G71R and six patients with Gilbert's syndrome who were single heterozygote for G71R. To clarify the role of each mutation in the occurrence of the two syndromes, we made four mutant expression models. Relative UGT1A1 activity of a single homozygous model of G71R was 32.2+/-1.6% of normal, that of a single homozygous model of Y486D was 7.6+/-0.5%, that of a double homozygous model of G71R and Y486D was 6.2+/-1.6% and that of a heterozygous model of G71R was 60.2+/-3.5%. The decreased activities of the single homozygous model of G71R and the double homozygous model were at an appropriate level to be diagnosed as Gilbert's syndrome and CN-II, respectively. The activity of a single heterozygous model of G71R was somewhat high to develop to the phenotype of Gilbert's syndrome, suggesting the presence of additional factors for the etiology of Gilbert's syndrome.

Strategy for treatment of Helicobacter pylori infection in adults. I. Updated indications for test and eradication therapy suggested in 2000.

Since the report of culture of Helicobacter pylori in 1983, there has been increasing agreement that H. pylori infection is etiologically associated with a number of important diseases including chronic active gastritis, peptic ulcer disease, mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma, gastric polyps, gastric cancer, as well as suggestions that it may be involved in diseases outside the upper gastrointestinal tract. There have been a number of national and international consensus meetings to propose guidelines to treat H. pylori infection. The recommendations of these conferences are reviewed here and updated to include new indications and concepts regarding H. pylori eradication therapy. Eradication therapy is considered the standard of care for active or inactive peptic ulcer patients including those who use non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Other strong indications include MALT lymphoma, hyperplastic polyps, hyperplastic gastropathy, post-endoscopic resection for gastric malignancy, and acute H. pylori gastritis. Other considerations include plan to use chronic NSAID therapy, plan for chronic anti-secretory therapy, and some extra-gastroduodenal diseases such as chronic ureterica. Non-investigated dyspepsia is an indication for diagnostic evaluation and eradication therapy for those with H. pylori infection, whereas non-ulcer dyspepsia (NUD) in which peptic ulcer disease has been excluded is not an indication for evaluation per se. Intervention studies are now in progress to test the hypothesis that prevention of gastric malignancy is an outcome of H. pylori eradication. Because the prevalence of H. pylori infection and the associated diseases such as peptic ulcer or gastric cancer differ among countries as well as different approvals for treatment are required by governments or insurance agencies, the acceptable indications of eradication therapy will, by necessity, vary among countries.

Strategy for treatment of Helicobacter pylori infection in adults. II. Practical policy in 2000.

The approach to the patient with suspected H. pylori infection consists of an adequate indication to test for the presence of the infection, choice of an appropriate antimicrobial regimen, and education about its use and side effects, followed by post-therapy testing to confirm cure. We review the drugs and regimens for H. pylori eradication and present a strategy for treating the infection. The major factor in choosing an antibiotic regimen is the pattern of antibiotic resistance in the community. Triple therapy with a proton pump inhibitor (PPI) or ranitidine bismuth citrate (RBC) and two antimicrobials is recommended as the first choice regimen. In regions where metronidazole and clarithromycin resistance are common, initial therapy with quadruple therapy consisting of bismuth, metronidazole, tetracycline, and a PPI is recommended. In general, higher doses and longer durations are associated with better outcomes. For this reason we recommend that the minimum duration of 10 days and we prefer 14 days. The actual choice of the antimicrobial combination will also be influenced by the drugs approved by the local regulatory bodies. Side effects, eradication failure and current as well as future designs of eradication therapies are also discussed.

Changes in serum diamine oxidase activity during chemotherapy in patients with hematological malignancies.

Serum diamine oxidase (DAO) activity is very low, but is considered to reflect quantitative changes in small intestinal mass. Therefore, we measured DAO activity during chemotherapy in patients with hematological malignancies in order to evaluate mucosal injury. DAO activity decreased from 1-3 weeks after chemotherapy but returned to initial levels after 4 weeks. As the dosage of anti-cancer drugs increased, DAO activity decreased more, but its activity was not related to other parameters. These findings suggest that serum DAO could be used as an indicator of mucosal injury during chemotherapy.

Epithelial expression of caveolin-2, but not caveolin-1, is enhanced in the inflamed mucosa of patients with ulcerative colitis.

Caveolae are vesicular invaginations of the plasma membrane that act as a scaffold of the assembly of many classes of signaling molecules. Caveolins are the principal structural component of caveolae membranes, and three distinct forms of caveolins have been identified: caveolin-1, caveolin-2, and caveolin-3. In this study, we evaluated the changes in the caveolin-1 and caveolin-2 expression in the inflamed mucosa of patients with IBD. Tissue samples were obtained endoscopically from patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) (n = 18), Crohn's disease (n = 10) and ischemic colitis (n = 8). Normal colorectal tissues were also obtained (n = 15). The caveolin expression was evaluated by standard immunohistochemical procedure. In normal colonic mucosa, caveolin-1 expression was detected in the smooth-muscle cells of the muscularis mucosae and the endothelial cells, but caveolin-2 expression was not detected. In the inflamed mucosa of patients with active UC, caveolin-2 expression was clearly detectable as small scattered foci on the luminal surfaces of epithelial cells, but caveolin-1 expression was similar to that in normal mucosa. Caveolin-2 expression increased in accordance with the disease activity of UC. This enhanced caveolin-2 expression was not detected in active Crohn's disease or ischemic colitis. In conclusion, we demonstrated that the epithelial expression of caveolin-2 is markedly enhanced in the inflamed mucosa of patients with UC. It is likely that the enhanced caveolin-2 expression in patients with UC was associated with the altered signal transductions in the intestinal epithelial cells. Furthermore, our results suggest that there are differences in the phenotypic features of epithelial cells between UC and Crohn's disease.

Subacute hepatic failure associated with a new antidiabetic agent, troglitazone: a case report with autopsy examination.

An autopsy case of fatal subacute hepatic failure after administration of troglitazone is described. The liver dysfunction developed about five months after the patient, a sixty-three-year-old woman, had been initially treated with troglitazone. The patient developed hepatic failure and died despite various hepatic auxiliary treatments such as plasmapheresis. Autopsy findings revealed focal liver cell necrosis, cholestasis and steatosis with infiltration of lymphocytes and neutrophils and lack of regenerative activity. The causative mechanism of liver dysfunction may be metabolite aberration, as a result of accumulation of hepatotoxic metabolite(s), in a category of idiosyncratic liver injury. It is proposed to monitor liver function strictly and periodically for the diabetic patients prescribed troglitazone.

Increase in mucosal and connective tissue-type mast cells in the stomach with acetic acid-induced ulcer in rat.

Gastric ulcers were induced in rats by acetic acid treatment, and the mast cell kinetics in the lesions were studied. Within 24 h, mast cells had disappeared from the treated site and from the marginal zone, corresponding to the area of severe tissue injury. Regenerating epithelium appeared at day 10, and the lesion had healed by day 30. In this healing process, the number of mast cells was significantly increased, and their density in the regenerating mucosa, marginal mucosa, and marginal muscularis propria was 3.2 1.8, and 7.5-fold the control level, respectively. The increase in the number of mast cells was preceded by an increase in the percentage of S-phase mast cells. Mast cells in the mucosa were Alcian blue (AB)+/safranin (S)- and rat mast cell protease (RMCP) I-/II+, consistent with the features of mucosal mast cells throughout the observation period. On the other hand, most mast cells in the muscularis propria exhibited AB+/S+ and RMCP I+/II+ in the early period of ulcer healing. The latter feature was changed to RMCP I+/II- on day 30, indicating that immature CTMC appeared and then developed into mature CTMC during the ulcer healing. The significant change in the number of mast cells suggests that mast cells play an important role in the development and healing of gastric ulcers.

Adsorption and pharmacokinetics of cyclosporin A in relation to mode of infusion in bone marrow transplant patients.

Two main factors that affect the pharmacokinetics of cyclosporin A (CsA) during 24-h durable intravenous (DIV) administration have been reported, namely physiological changes after bone marrow transplantation, and blood sampling through indwelling lines. In addition, it has been found that infusion sets made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) markedly adsorb CsA. We conducted in vitro adsorption studies of CsA on infusion sets, and the administration routes that are used in the treatment of patients with bone marrow transplantation. We also examined the effects of administration route on CsA pharmacokinetics in clinical practice. The in vitro adsorption study using 30-mm segments of lumen from commercially available infusion sets showed that the degree of CsA adsorption per area of lumen made of PVC was significantly higher than that in those made of polyethylene (PE) or polybutadiene (PB), which showed no adsorption of CsA. Due to its adsorption, use of infusion sets made of PVC resulted in about a 40-50% loss of CsA dose, which affected the pharmacokinetic parameters during 24-h DIV, while those made of PE and PB did not. The use of non-PVC infusion sets should allow for accurate monitoring of CsA results, and provide cost benefit in the treatment of bone marrow transplantation.

Macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF) enhances complement component C3 production by human monocytes/macrophages.

The third complement component, C3, is an important factor in the host defense mechanism in which monocytes/macrophages participate as the primary phagocytes. Monocytes/macrophages are the principal extrahepatic producers of C3, and this C3 production is thought to be regulated by several cytokines. In the present study, we demonstrated that human macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF) enhanced C3 production by human peripheral monocytes in serum-free culture. Analytical immunoblot and ELISA showed that the presence of M-CSF increased the production of intracellular pro-C3 and extracellular C3 for 24 h in a dose-dependent manner. To confirm the rapid effect of M-CSF on C3 production, we performed metabolic labeling of C3 with [35S]methionine. The production of [35S]C3 for the first 6 h in the presence of M-CSF was also increased as compared to that in the absence of M-CSF. In addition to the previously reported effects of M-CSF on monocytes/macrophages, such as the enhancement of C3 receptor expression and C3 receptor-mediated phagocytosis, we consider that the effects of M-CSF demonstrated in this study are of importance in the local immune system organization of C3 and monocytes/macrophages.

Sequential numerical changes of chromosomes 7 and 18 in diffuse-type stomach cancer cell lines: combined comparative genomic hybridization, fluorescence in situ hybridization, and ploidy analyses.

Sequential changes of chromosomal copy number were analyzed retrospectively in five diffuse-type gastric cancer cell lines by comparative genomic hybridization (CGH), DNA cytometry, and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) with centromeric and painting probes. By CGH, we found loss of 18q21 in all of the cell lines and gains of 7p11-q31, 20q, and 22 in four of the five cell lines. Actual copy numbers of chromosomes 7 and 18 were determined by FISH: disomy 18 with (partial) loss of 18q in the two DNA-diploid cell lines (AGS and MKN-45), trisomy 7 in MKN-45, disomy 18 and tetrasomy 7 with one-copy loss of 7p and one-copy gain of 7q tip in DNA-triploid HSC-39/40A, and trisomy 18 and hexasomy 7 with one-copy loss of 7q in DNA-tetraploid KATO-III. Because the DNA aneuploidy is thought to result through tetraploidization, and the duplicated chromosomal changes in DNA aneuploid tumors seem to precede tetraploidization, the duplicated gain of chromosome 7 and one-copy loss of 7q in KATO-III were inferred to have occurred before and after tetraploidization, respectively. Similarly, HSC-39/40A were inferred to be preceded by the DNA-diploid stage with disomy 7 and monosomy 18. As the loss of 18q21 and the gain of 7p11-q31 were inferred to have occurred already in the DNA diploid stage in at least four and two of the cell lines, respectively, the 18q21 loss may be more important than the 7q gain as an earlier event in the genesis of diffuse-type stomach cancer. The combined CGH, FISH, and ploidy analyses thus give us a clue to extract important earlier events from the chromosomal changes that were screened by CGH alone.

Trisomy 4 in a case of acute lymphocytic leukemia (L1).

Trisomy 4 has been identified previously as a chromosome abnormality associated with acute nonlymphocytic leukemia (ANLL) with myelomonocytic lineage and in myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). We report a case of acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) (French-American-British, FAB L1) in a 42-year-old Japanese man, with trisomy 4 as the sole chromosomal anomaly. Immunophenotypically, the leukemic blasts demonstrated reactivity with CD2, CD5, and CD7 and indicated on early stage of T cell.

Effects of synthetic serine protease inhibitors on proliferation and collagen synthesis of human pancreatic periacinar fibroblast-like cells.

Protease inhibitors are currently used as therapeutic agents for chronic pancreatitis in Japan. We previously reported that human pancreatic periacinar fibroblast-like cells (hPFCs) could be cultured from isolated pancreatic acini, and those are thought to play a crucial role in pancreatic fibrosis correlating with platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) and transforming growth factor beta1 (TGF-beta1) (Pancreas 1997;14: 373-82). The present study was designed to examine the effects of synthetic serine protease inhibitors (FOY-007 and FOY-305) on proliferation and collagen synthesis of hPFCs under cytokine stimulation. The cell proliferation and collagen synthesis were evaluated using assays of [3H]-thymidine incorporation and procollagen type I c-terminal peptide (PIP), and [14C]-proline incorporation to de novo synthesized collagen, respectively. The cell proliferation stimulated by PDGF was inhibited by the application of FOY-007 dose dependently (1-100 microM) and FOY-305 at 100 microM. FOY-007 attenuated the collagen synthesis and PIP production stimulated by TGF-beta1 dose dependently, but FOY-305 inhibited only PIP production. Both protease inhibitors demonstrated no effect on the proliferation and collagen synthesis of hPFCs when they were not stimulated by PDGF or TGF-beta1. Thus, serine protease inhibitors act on hPFCs to diminish the effects of PDGF on proliferation and the effects of TGF-beta1 on collagen synthesis.

Morphological and immunocytochemical identification of periacinar fibroblast-like cells derived from human pancreatic acini.

Fibroblast-like cells in the periacinar region may play an important role in periacinar fibrosis. In the present study, we isolated and cultured periacinar fibroblast-like cells (PFCs) derived from human pancreatic acini and examined the characteristics of human PFCs morphologically and immunocytochemically. Immunocytochemical study of human PFCs showed that they were positively stained with antibodies against type I collagen/procollagen, type III collagen/procollagen, fibronectin, prolyl hydroxylase beta sub-unit, type IV collagen, laminin, alpha-smooth muscle actin, vimentin, and nonmuscle myosin. Electron microscopic study showed that human PFCs contained a number of microfilaments, forming dense bodies in the cytoplasm. These results indicated that human PFCs possess characteristics of myofibroblasts. Expression of alpha-smooth muscle actin, a marker of the myofibroblast-like phenotype, was increased with time in culture and was enhanced by treatment with transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta 1. Collagen synthesis in human PFCs was stimulated by TGF-beta 1 and the proliferation of human PFCs was stimulated by platelet-derived growth factor. These findings suggest that PFCs from human pancreas seem to be involved in periacinar fibrosis.

Macrolipasemia in Crohn's disease.

A 38-year-old male patient who had been treated for Crohn's disease was found to have serum lipase activity that was persistently increased approximately 10-fold above the normal upper limit. He was diagnosed with chronic pancreatitis based on slightly elevated elastase-1 level and retrograde pancreatography showing slight dilatation of the main pancreatic duct. Therefore, the hyperlipasemia was thought to be due to pancreatitis. However, the serum amylase and trypsin was not increased at any time, and no serious findings suggestive of pancreatitis were detected on morphologic examination. Thus, there were discrepancies between the serum lipase activity and other laboratory and clinical findings. Exclusion chromatography of the patient's serum suggested macromolecular lipase, and further immunologic testing including affinity chromatography, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and immunoprecipitation assay showed that serum lipase was bound to immunoglobulin Gkappa. Therefore, the hyperlipasemia was caused by immunoglobulin-linked lipase, termed "macrolipasemia." Macrolipasemia has rarely been reported, and this is the first reported case of macrolipasemia accompanied by Crohn's disease.

The expression of chemokine genes correlates with nuclear factor-kappaB activation in human pancreatic cancer cell lines.

Chemokines may regulate the process of immune cell infiltration that is often found in pancreatic cancer. In this study, we investigated the secretion of the chemokines [interleukin (IL)-8, monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP)-1, and RANTES (regulated on activation, normal T cell expressed and secreted)] in human pancreatic cancer cell lines. The chemokine secretion in three pancreatic cancer cell lines (PANC-1, MIA PaCa-2, and BxPC-3) was evaluated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and Northern blot, and the activation of nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) and NF-IL6 was assessed by an electrophoretic gel mobility shift assay (EMSA). Without any stimulation, IL-8 secretion was detected in all cell lines, and MCP-1 secretion was detected in PANC-1 and MIA PaCa-2 cells. However, RANTES secretion was not detected in all cells. The addition of IL-1beta and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha strongly enhanced IL-8, MCP-1, and RANTES secretion; these responses were observed at the mRNA level as well as at the protein level. IL-1beta and TNF-alpha induced a rapid activation of nuclear factor (NF)-kappaB in PANC-1 cells, and the increase in chemokine mRNA expression correlated with NF-kappaB activation. The activation of NF-IL6 was modest. A blockade of NF-kappaB activation by TPCK markedly reduced the IL-1beta- and TNF-alpha-induced chemokine gene expression. Our findings indicate that chemokines are produced by pancreatic cancer cells, and suggest that these factors may contribute to the accumulation of tumor-associated immune cells. In addition, the transcriptional activation of chemokine genes in pancreatic cancer cells may be closely associated with NF-kappaB activation.

Transforming growth factor-beta1 acts as a potent inhibitor of complement C3 biosynthesis in human pancreatic cancer cell lines.

In this study, we attempted to determine how transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta1 affects complement C3 secretion in the pancreatic cancer cell lines PANC-1 and BxPC-3. We also compared the responses in C3 secretion with those in interleukin (IL)-8 secretion. The C3 and IL-8 expression was evaluated at the protein and messenger RNA (mRNA) levels. The activation of nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) was assessed by an electrophoretic gel mobility shift assay (EMSA). IL-1beta and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha both induced a marked increase in C3 and IL-8 secretion. However, TGF-beta1 potently decreased the IL-1beta- and TNF-alpha-induced C3 secretion, whereas the IL-8 secretion was weakly but significantly enhanced. These responses were also observed at the mRNA level. In PANC-1 cells, IL-1beta and TNF-alpha induced a rapid activation of nuclear factor (NF)-kappaB, and TGF-beta1 enhanced this activation slightly. The induction of Fos protein has been reported to be required for the inhibitory action of TGF-beta1, and the translocation of Fos protein into the nucleus was associated with TGF-beta1 stimulation in PANC-1 cells. Our results suggest that TGF-beta1 may act as a potent inhibitor of C3 secretion in pancreatic cancer cell lines under inflammatory conditions. This action of TGF-beta1 did not correlate with NF-kappaB activation, but associated with the translocation of Fos protein into the nucleus.