Targeting of oxidative stress and inflammation through ROS/NF-kappaB pathway in phosphine-induced hepatotoxicity mitigation.

AIMS: Poisoning with aluminium phosphide (AlP) commonly has a high rate of mortality and morbidities. Phosphine gas is the main cause of AlP poisoning that has deleterious effect on multi-organs especially heart, kidney, and liver. Furthermore, several studies reported that resveratrol has cytoprotective effects through its pleiotropic property. The purpose of this study was to estimate the dose-dependent role of resveratrol on phosphine induced acute hepatic toxicity in rat model. MAIN METHODS: The rats have been exposed to LD50 of AlP (12 mg/kg) by gavage, and resveratrol doses (20, 40, and 80 mg/kg) were injected 30 min after intoxication. After 24 h, the serum and liver tissue were collected for present study. KEY FINDINGS: The results indicated that phosphine causes an alteration in oxidative stress markers including elevation of ROS, and GSH level, MPO activity, reduction in SOD, catalase and G6PD activity as well as reduction in SOD1 and catalase expression. Furthermore, phosphine significantly induced phosphorylation of IkappaB, NF-kappaB and up-regulation of TNF-α, IL-1ß, IL-6, and ICAM-1 expression. Also, phosphine induces markedly reduced hepatocytes lives cell and elevated apoptosis and necrosis. Co-treatment of resveratrol in a dose-dependent manner reversed aforementioned alterations. All in all, histological analysis indicated a deleterious effect of phosphine on the liver, which is mitigated by resveratrol administration. SIGNIFICANCE: The results of the present study suggest targeting ROS/NF-kappaB signalling pathway by resveratrol may have a significant effect on the improvement of hepatic injury induced by phosphine. It also may be a possible candidate for the treatment of phosphine-poisoning.

An in vitro study of NF-κB factors cooperatively in regulation of Drosophila melanogaster antimicrobial peptide genes.

An important innate immune response in Drosophila melanogaster is the production of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). Expression of AMP genes is mediated by the Toll and immune deficiency (IMD) pathways via NF-κB transcription factors Dorsal, DIF and Relish. Dorsal and DIF act downstream of the Toll pathway, whereas Relish acts in the IMD pathway. Dorsal and DIF are held inactive in the cytoplasm by the IκB protein Cactus, while Relish contains an IκB-like inhibitory domain at the C-terminus. NF-κB factors normally form homodimers and heterodimers to regulate gene expression, but formation of heterodimers between Relish and DIF or Dorsal and the specificity and activity of the three NF-κB homodimers and heterodimers are not well understood. In this study, we compared the activity of Rel homology domains (RHDs) of Dorsal, DIF and Relish in activation of Drosophila AMP gene promoters, demonstrated that Relish-RHD (Rel-RHD) interacted with both Dorsal-RHD and DIF-RHD, Relish-N interacted with DIF and Dorsal, and overexpression of individual RHD and co-expression of any two RHDs activated the activity of AMP gene promoters to various levels, suggesting formation of homodimers and heterodimers among Dorsal, DIF and Relish. Rel-RHD homodimers were stronger activators than heterodimers of Rel-RHD with either DIF-RHD or Dorsal-RHD, while DIF-RHD-Dorsal-RHD heterodimers were stronger activators than either DIF-RHD or Dorsal-RHD homodimers in activation of AMP gene promoters. We also identified the nucleotides at the 6th and 8th positions of the 3' half-sites of the κB motifs that are important for the specificity and activity of NF-κB transcription factors.

Highly sensitive electrochemical nuclear factor kappa B aptasensor based on target-induced dual-signal ratiometric and polymerase-assisted protein recycling amplification strategy.

In this work, an amplified electrochemical ratiometric aptasensor for nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) assay based on target binding-triggered ratiometric signal readout and polymerase-assisted protein recycling amplification strategy is described. To demonstrate the effect of "signal-off" and "signal-on" change for the dual-signal electrochemical ratiometric readout, the thiol-hairpin DNA (SH-HD) hybridizes with methylene blue (MB)-modified protection DNA (MB-PD) to form capture probes, which is rationally introduced for the construction of the assay platform. On the interface, the probes can specifically bind to target NF-κB and expose a toehold region which subsequently hybridizes with the ferrocene (Fc)-modified DNA strand to take the Fc group to the electrode surface, accompanied by displacing MB-PD to release the MB group from the electrode surface, leading to the both "signal-on" of Fc (IFc) and "signal-off" of MB (IMB). In order to improve the sensitivity of the electrochemical aptasensor, phi29-assisted target protein recycling amplification strategy was designed to achieve an amplified ratiometric signal. With the above advantages, the prepared aptasensor exhibits a wide linear range of 0.1pgmL-1 to 15ngmL-1 with a low detection limit of 0.03pgmL-1. This strategy provides a simple and ingenious approach to construct ratiometric electrochemical aptasensor and shows promising potential applications in multiple disease marker detection by changing the recognition probe.

[Relationship between cytoplasmic phospholipase A2 and nuclear factor κB in one lung ventilation-induced lung injury in rabbits].

OBJECTIVE: To elucidate the mechanisms of up regulated expression of cytoplasmic phospholipase A2 (CPLA2) induced by one lung ventilation (OLV) by investigating the interactions between nuclear factor kappaB (NF-κB) and C-PLA2. METHODS: Forty-eight healthy Japanese white rabbits were randomized into control group, solvent treatment group (group S), NF-κB inhibitor (PDTC)/solvent treatment group ( group PS), C-PLA2 inhibitor (AACOCF3)/solvent treatment group (group AS), OLV group (group O), solvent treatment plus OLV group (SO group), NFκB inhibitor (PDTC)/solvent treatment plus OLV group (group PSO) and CPLA2 inhibitor (AACOCF3)/solvent treatment plus OLV group (group ASO). ELISA was used to detect arachidonic acid (AA) content in the lung tissues, and NFκB and CPLA2 expressions were detected by Western blotting and quantitative PCR. Lung injuries were assessed based on the lung histological score, and the polymorphonuclear leukocyte count in the bronchial alveolar lavage fluid, myeloperoxidase (MPO) content in the lung tissues, and lung wet/dry weight (W/D) raito were determined. RESULTS: Treatment of the rabbits with the solvent did not produce any adverse effects. OLV caused obvious lung injury in the rabbits and up regulated the expressions of CPLA2 and NFκB in the lung tissues (P<0.05). In rabbits without OLV, treatment with AACOCF3 or PDTC significantly down regulated both CPLA2 and NFκB expressions without affecting the other parameters. In rabbits with OLV, treatment with AACOCF3 or PDTC obviously lowered CPLA2 and NFκB expressions and lessened the OLV-induced lung injuries. CONCLUSION: Both C-PLA2 and NF-κB play important roles and show interactions in OLV-induced lung injury in rabbits.

Colocalization recognition-activated cascade signal amplification strategy for ultrasensitive detection of transcription factors.

Transcription factors (TFs) bind to specific double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) sequences in the regulatory regions of genes to regulate the process of gene transcription. Their expression levels sensitively reflect cell developmental situation and disease state. TFs have become potential diagnostic markers and therapeutic targets of cancers and some other diseases. Hence, high sensitive detection of TFs is of vital importance for early diagnosis of diseases and drugs development. The traditional exonucleases-assisted signal amplification methods suffered from the false positives caused by incomplete digestion of excess recognition probes. Herein, based on a new recognition way-colocalization recognition (CR)-activated dual signal amplification, an ultrasensitive fluorescent detection strategy for TFs was developed. TFs-induced the colocalization of three split recognition components resulted in noticeable increases of local effective concentrations and hybridization of three split components, which activated the subsequent cascade signal amplification including strand displacement amplification (SDA) and exponential rolling circle amplification (ERCA). This strategy eliminated the false positive influence and achieved ultra-high sensitivity towards the purified NF-κB p50 with detection limit of 2.0×10-13M. Moreover, NF-κB p50 can be detected in as low as 0.21ngµL-1 HeLa cell nuclear extracts. In addition, this proposed strategy could be used for the screening of NF-κB p50 activity inhibitors and potential anti-NF-κB p50 drugs. Finally, our proposed strategy offered a potential method for reliable detection of TFs in medical diagnosis and treatment research of cancers and other related diseases.

Characterization of the host response to pichinde virus infection in the Syrian golden hamster by species-specific kinome analysis.

The Syrian golden hamster has been increasingly used to study viral hemorrhagic fever (VHF) pathogenesis and countermeasure efficacy. As VHFs are a global health concern, well-characterized animal models are essential for both the development of therapeutics and vaccines as well as for increasing our understanding of the molecular events that underlie viral pathogenesis. However, the paucity of reagents or platforms that are available for studying hamsters at a molecular level limits the ability to extract biological information from this important animal model. As such, there is a need to develop platforms/technologies for characterizing host responses of hamsters at a molecular level. To this end, we developed hamster-specific kinome peptide arrays to characterize the molecular host response of the Syrian golden hamster. After validating the functionality of the arrays using immune agonists of defined signaling mechanisms (lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α), we characterized the host response in a hamster model of VHF based on Pichinde virus (PICV(1)) infection by performing temporal kinome analysis of lung tissue. Our analysis revealed key roles for vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), interleukin (IL) responses, nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB) signaling, and Toll-like receptor (TLR) signaling in the response to PICV infection. These findings were validated through phosphorylation-specific Western blot analysis. Overall, we have demonstrated that hamster-specific kinome arrays are a robust tool for characterizing the species-specific molecular host response in a VHF model. Further, our results provide key insights into the hamster host response to PICV infection and will inform future studies with high-consequence VHF pathogens.

Rapid preparation of high-purity nuclear proteins from a small number of cultured cells for use in electrophoretic mobility shift assays.

BACKGROUND: Highly purified nuclear protein is required when using an electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) to study transcription factors, e.g. nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB), a major transcription factor that regulates both innate and adaptive immune responses following infection. Although many protocols have been developed for nuclear protein extraction, they are not necessarily optimized for use in EMSA, often require a large number of cells and long processing times, and do not always result in complete separation of the nuclear and cytoplasmic fractions. RESULTS: We have developed a simple, rapid and cost-effective method to prepare highly purified nuclear proteins from a small number of both suspended and adherent cultured cells that yields nuclear proteins comparable to those prepared by a standard large-scale method. The efficiency of the method was demonstrated by using EMSA to show the successful detection, in multilple concurrent samples, of NF-κB activation upon tetradecanoyl phorbol acetate (TPA) stimulation. CONCLUSIONS: This method requires only a small number of cells and no specialized equipment. The steps have been simplified, resulting in a short processing time, which allows researchers to process multiple samples simultaneously and quickly. This method is especially optimized for use in EMSA, and may be useful for other applications that include proteomic analysis.

Label-free electrochemical biosensor using home-made 10-methyl-3-nitro-acridone as indicator for picomolar detection of nuclear factor kappa B.

A new acridone derivative 10-methyl-3-nitro-acridone (MNA) with excellent electrochemical activity was synthesized in this paper. Using it as an electrochemical indicator, a signal-on and label-free electrochemical biosensor was developed for picomolar determination of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) in serum. Initially, linear double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) probes, which contain a protein-binding site specific to NF-κB, were self-assembled on the surface of a glass carbon electrode (GCE). If the NF-κB was absent, the dsDNA probes were cut into ss-DNA fragments by the digestion of ExoIII, resulting in a low electrochemical signal of MNA due to the weak binding affinity of MNA to ss-DNA. On the contrary, in the presence of NF-κB, it could bind with the dsDNA probes at the specific site and hinder the digestion of ExoIII, resulting in a significant increase of electrochemical response due to the intercalation of MNA into the dsDNA probes. By employing the above strategy, this sensor could detect as low as 40 pM NF-κB with high specificity. To the best of our knowledge, the proposed sensor is the first attempt to use acridone derivative as an electrochemical indicator for NF-κB detection, which may represent a promising path toward clinical diagnosis and drug developments.

How to monitor NF-kappaB activation after photodynamic therapy.

The nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kappaB) is a multipotent factor involved in many cellular processes such as inflammation, immune response and embryonic development and it can be activated by a large number of stimuli. Consequently, this transcription factor plays a pivotal role in many natural processes but also in different pathologies. For several years, photodynamic therapy (PDT) has emerged as an attractive alternative approach for the treatment of different affections involving various forms of cancer and an increasing number of reports have highlighted the activation of the NF-kappaB following PDT treatment. Furthermore, it has been shown that the mechanism of activation of the NF-kappaB as well as its target genes depends on the nature of the photosensitizers and the cell type used. As this transcription factor is known to be a key regulator of the immune response but also controls cell survival and proliferation, it is important to assess its activation status and its impact on the target genes. In this review, we will present different techniques allowing identification of the activation status of this factor, from the degradation of its inhibitor in the cytoplasm to its ability to induce the expression of a reporter gene under the control of a target promoter. As a working model we will present results obtained from a 5-aminolevulinic acid-PDT treatment on cervix adenocarcinoma cells.

One-step extraction of subcellular proteins from eukaryotic cells.

Conventional biochemical analysis mainly focuses on the expression level of cellular proteins from entire cells. However, it has been increasingly acknowledged that the subcellular location of proteins often carries important information. Analysis of subcellular proteins conventionally requires subcellular fractionation which involves two steps: cell lysis to release proteins and high-speed centrifugation to separate the homogenate. Such approach requires bulky and expensive equipment and is not compatible with processing scarce cell samples of limited volume. In this study, we apply microfluidic flow-through electroporation to breach cell membranes and extract cytosolic proteins selectively in a single step. We demonstrate that this approach allows monitoring the translocation of the transcription factor NF-kappaB from the cytosol to the nucleus without the need of subcellular fractionation. Our technique is compatible with the processing of samples of various sizes and provides a simple and universal tool for bioanalytical analysis and spatial proteomics.

Transfer of flexibility between ankyrin repeats in IkappaB* upon formation of the NF-kappaB complex.

The mechanism of inhibition of the transcriptional activator nuclear factor kappaB (NF-kappaB) by the inhibitor IkappaB* is central to the understanding of the control of transcriptional activity via this widely employed pathway. Previous studies suggested that IkappaB* , a modular protein with an NF-kappaB binding domain consisting of six ankyrin repeat domains (ANKs), shows differential flexibility, with ANK 1-4 apparently more rigid in solution in the absence of NF-kappaB than ANK 5 and 6. Here we report NMR studies that confirm the enhanced flexibility of ANK 5 and 6 in free IkappaB* . Upon binding of NF-kappaB, ANK 5 and 6 become well structured and rigid, but, somewhat surprisingly, other domains of the IkappaB* , which were relatively rigid in the free protein, become significantly more flexible. Due to the high molecular masses of the component proteins and the complexes, we employ a hierarchical experimental plan to maximize the available information on local flexibility in the ankyrin repeat domains. Backbone resonances of the 221-residue IkappaB* protein were assigned firstly in a smaller construct consisting of ankyrin repeats 1-4. These assignments could be readily transferred to the spectra of the construct containing six repeats, both free and complexed with various combinations of the NF-kappaB p50 and p65 domains. Transverse relaxation optimized spectroscopy-type NMR experiments on differentially labeled proteins enabled information on backbone structure and dynamics to be obtained, even in complexes with molecular masses approaching 100 kDa. Changes in the flexibility and stability of the various ankyrin repeat domains of IkappaB* complex formation take a variety of forms depending on the position of the domain in the complex, providing a variety of examples of the structural and functional utility of intrinsically unstructured or partly folded protein domains.

Facile determination of DNA-binding nuclear factor-kappaB by chemiluminescence detection.

A simple, rapid, and sensitive method for the assay of a sequence-specific DNA-binding protein, nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB), has been developed by using a DNA-detectable chemiluminogenic reagent and a centrifugal filter that distinguishes different molecular sizes. After the formation of a complex between NF-kappaB and DNA, the unbound DNA is separated from the complex by the centrifugal filter. The amount of the bound NF-kappaB is estimated by chemiluminescence detection of the bound DNA. This detection is performed within 2 min at room temperature by the use of a chemiluminogenic reagent, 3',4',5'-trimethoxyphenylglyoxal, which selectively recognizes guanine moiety in oligonucleotides or DNAs. This method does not require any labeled probes or antibodies and can determine a concentration as low as 5 nM of DNA-binding NF-kappaB. The sensitivity is nearly the same as that of other methods such as gel shift assay using fluorescence-labeled probes and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Therefore, the current method provides a convenient tool for surveying various DNA-binding proteins.

Characterization of a Rel\NF-kappaB homologue in a gastropod abalone, Haliotis diversicolor supertexta.

Rel\NF-kappaB signal transduction pathway is evolutionarily conserved and involved in numerous biological processes. We report here, for the first time that a homologue of Rel\NF-kappaB transcription factor, Ab-Rel, was identified and functionally characterized in a gastropod abalone, H. diversicolor supertexta. The full-length Ab-Rel cDNA consists of 1943 bp with an ORF encoding a 584 amino acids protein. Amino acid sequence analysis revealed that Ab-Rel shares conserved signature motifs with other Rel proteins, including the Rel homology domain (RHD), nuclear localization signal (NLS) and phosphorylation site, RRPS. Northern hybridization and real-time PCR indicated that Ab-Rel was ubiquitously and constitutively expressed in abalone. The recombinant Ab-Rel RHD protein was confirmed to specifically bind the consensus NF-kappaB binding site. Furthermore, EMSA showed that NF-kappaB activity was induced in abalone hemocytes by stimulation with LPS. These results strongly suggest that Ab-Rel is a Rel homologue, which plays a conserved role in the immune response of the ancient invertebrate, abalone, allowing us to study the Rel\NF-kappaB signaling pathway in an evolutionary context.

Magnetocapture of abalone transcription factor NF-kappaB: a new strategy for isolation and detection of NF-kappaB both in vitro and in vivo.

Rel\NF-kappaB plays an important role in the immune response. Recently, a homologue of Rel\NF-kappaB transcription factor was identified from a gastropod abalone, Haliotis diversicolor supertexta, named Ab-Rel. We present here a new strategy, so called magnetocapture, based on magnetic separation that was developed to isolate and detect this abalone transcriptional factor. With this method, Ab-Rel was successfully isolated from abalone haemocytes and the recombinant Ab-Rel protein from an insect cell line. Western blot analysis was performed to verify the effectiveness of this magnetocapture assay. Since only the activated NF-kappaB can be captured and separated from the whole cell extracts, this method was simultaneously used to detect the NF-kappaB activity in vivo, as well as the biological activity of the recombinant protein in vitro. In addition, several proteins which might interact with the abalone NF-kappaB were together isolated, suggesting that the magnetocapture method would be useful for identifying interaction molecules. These results illustrated that the magnetocapture strategy is rapid, reliable and versatile, providing a promising tool for studying Rel\NF-kappaB protein.

Decursin inhibits induction of inflammatory mediators by blocking nuclear factor-kappaB activation in macrophages.

In the course of screening inhibitors of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 induction in macrophages, we isolated decursin, a coumarin compound, from the roots of Angelicae gigas. As a marker for the screening and isolation, we tested expression of MMP-9 in RAW264.7 cells and THP-1 cells after treatment with bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS), the TLR-4 ligand. Decursin suppressed MMP-9 expression in cells stimulated by LPS in a dose-dependent manner at concentrations below 60 microM with no sign of cytotoxicity. The suppressive effect of decursin was observed not only in cells stimulated with ligands for TLR4, TLR2, TLR3, and TLR9 but also in cells stimulated with interleukin (IL)-1beta, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, indicating that the molecular target of decursin is common signaling molecules induced by these stimulants. In addition to the suppression of MMP-9 expression, decursin blocked nitric oxide production and cytokine (IL-8, MCP-1, IL-1beta, and TNF-alpha) secretion induced by LPS. To find out the molecular mechanism responsible for the suppressive effect of decursin, we analyzed signaling molecules involved in the TLR-mediated activation of MMP-9 and cytokines. Decursin blocked phosphorylation of IkappaB and nuclear translocation of NF-kappaB in THP-1 cells activated with LPS. Furthermore, expression of a luciferase reporter gene under the promoter containing NF-kappaB binding sites was blocked by decursin. These data indicate that decursin is a novel inhibitor of NF-kappaB activation in signaling induced by TLR ligands and cytokines.

A physical and functional map of the human TNF-alpha/NF-kappa B signal transduction pathway.

Signal transduction pathways are modular composites of functionally interdependent sets of proteins that act in a coordinated fashion to transform environmental information into a phenotypic response. The pro-inflammatory cytokine tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha triggers a signalling cascade, converging on the activation of the transcription factor NF-kappa B, which forms the basis for numerous physiological and pathological processes. Here we report the mapping of a protein interaction network around 32 known and candidate TNF-alpha/NF-kappa B pathway components by using an integrated approach comprising tandem affinity purification, liquid-chromatography tandem mass spectrometry, network analysis and directed functional perturbation studies using RNA interference. We identified 221 molecular associations and 80 previously unknown interactors, including 10 new functional modulators of the pathway. This systems approach provides significant insight into the logic of the TNF-alpha/NF-kappa B pathway and is generally applicable to other pathways relevant to human disease.

Solution structure and design of dithiophosphate backbone aptamers targeting transcription factor NF-kappaB.

A variety of monothio- and dithiosubstituted duplex aptamers targeting NF-kappaB have been synthesized and designed. The specificity and affinity of the dithioate aptamers of p50 and RelA(p65) NF-kappaB homodimers was determined by gel shift experiments. The NMR solution structures for several unmodified and dithioate backbone modified 14-base paired duplex aptamers have been determined by a hybrid, complete matrix (MORASS)/restrained molecular dynamics method. Structural perturbations of the dithioate substitutions support our hypothesis that the dithioate binds cations less tightly than phosphoryl groups. This increases the electrostatic repulsion across the B-form narrow minor groove and enlarges the minor groove, similar to that found in A-form duplexes. Structural analysis of modeled aptamer complexes with NF-kappaB homo- and heterodimers suggests that the dithioate backbone substitution can increase the aptamer's relative affinity to basic groups in proteins such as NF-kappaB by helping to "strip" the cations from the aptamer backbone.

Simultaneous immunoblotting analysis with activity gel electrophoresis in a single polyacrylamide gel.

We describe here that a simple diffusion blotting method can couple immunoblotting analysis with another biochemical technique in a single polyacrylamide gel. The efficiency of protein transfer was evaluated by serial dilutions of nephrosin, a metalloproteinase of the astacin family, and by immunodetection. It is estimated that diffusion blotting produces 25-50% of the signal intensity compared to the classical electrophoretic transfer method. However, with diffusion blotting it is possible to generate several replicas from a single gel. In addition, a protein blot can be obtained from a sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-polyacrylamide gel for zymography assay or from a native polyacrylamide gel for electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA). In this regard, a particular signal in zymography or EMSA can be confirmed by simultaneous immunoblotting analysis with a corresponding antiserum. Therefore, diffusion blotting allows a direct comparison of signals between gels and replicas in zymography assay and EMSA. These advantages make diffusion blotting desirable when partial loss of transfer efficiency can be tolerated or be compensated by a more sensitive immunodetection reaction using enhanced chemiluminescence substrates.

Inhibition of NF-kappa B by S-nitrosylation.

It is not clear if redox regulation of transcription is the consequence of direct redox-related modifications of transcription factors, or if it occurs at some other redox-sensitive step. One obstacle has been the inability to demonstrate redox-related modifications of transcription factors in vivo. The redox-sensitive transcriptional activator NF-kappaB (p50-p65) is a case in point. Its activity in vitro can be inhibited by S-nitrosylation of a critical thiol in the DNA-interacting p50 subunit, but modulation of NF-kappaB activity by nitric oxide synthase (NOS) has been attributed to other mechanisms. Herein we show that cellular NF-kappaB activity is in fact regulated by S-nitrosylation. We observed that both S-nitrosocysteine and cytokine-activated NOS2 inhibited NF-kappaB in human respiratory cells or murine macrophages. This inhibition was reversed by addition of the denitrosylating agent dithiothreitol to cellular extracts, whereas NO bioactivity did not affect the TNFalpha-induced degradation of IkappaBalpha or the nuclear translocation of p65. Recapitulation of these conditions in vitro resulted in S-nitrosylation of recombinant p50, thereby inhibiting its binding to DNA, and this effect was reversed by dithiothreitol. Further, an increase in S-nitrosylated p50 was detected in cells, and the level was modulated by TNFalpha. Taken together, these data suggest that S-nitrosylation of p50 is a physiological mechanism of NF-kappaB regulation.

NF-kappaB, p38 MAPK and JNK are highly expressed and active in the stroma of human colonic adenomatous polyps.

The factors that govern the progression from colonic adenomatous polyp to colon cancer are poorly understood. The observation that NSAIDs act as chemopreventative agents and reduce the size of colonic polyps suggests the involvement of inflammatory signalling, but inflammatory signalling in colonic polyps has not been studied. We investigated the expression of the active forms of NF-kappaB, JNK and p38 MAPK using immunohistochemistry with activation specific antibodies in human colonic adenomas. We show that active NF-kappaB is seen in stromal macrophages that also express COX-2 and TNF-alpha, active JNK is seen in stromal and intraepithelial T-lymphocytes and periendothelial cells of new blood vessels, and active p38 MAPK is most highly expressed in macrophages and other stromal cells. These results demonstrate the presence of active inflammatory signal transduction in colonic polyps and that these are predominantly in the stroma. In the case of NF-kappaB this coincides with the cellular localisation of COX-2. These results support evidence that NSAIDs may act through effects on stromal cells rather than epithelial cells.