Association between TNF-alpha promoter polymorphism and Helicobacter pylori cagA subtype infection.

AIMS: To assess the importance of tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) promoter polymorphism in relation to infection with the cytotoxin associated gene A (cagA) subtype of Helicobacter pylori within a dyspeptic Korean population. METHODS: Eighty three patients with gastric disease and 113 healthy controls were studied. The DNA from gastric biopsy specimens was analysed by H pylori specific and cagA specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR). To characterise TNF-alpha polymorphism at positions -308 and -238, PCR based restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis was performed. RESULTS: Helicobacter pylori infection was closely correlated with G to A transition at position -308 of the TNF-alpha promoter when compared with healthy controls (odds ratio (OR), 2.912; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.082 to 7.836; p = 0.034). Although TNF-alpha -308 polymorphism in patients with H pylori was not significantly different from that in patients without H pylori, the -308A polymorphism was strongly associated with H pylori cagA subtype infection when compared with the polymorphism in cagA negative H pylori infection (OR, 8.757; 95% CI, 1.413 to 54.262; p = 0.019) and healthy controls (OR, 3.683; 95% CI, 1.343 to 10.101; p = 0.011). G to A genetic change at position -238 of the TNF-alpha gene was not significantly associated with H pylori cagA subtype infection. In addition, genetic polymorphisms at both sites of the TNF-alpha promoter in patients with H pylori infection did not correlate with the severity of disease. CONCLUSION: TNF-alpha -308A polymorphism was significantly related to infection with the H pylori cagA subtype in Korean patients with gastric disease.

Microcystin-induced down-regulation of lymphocyte functions through reduced IL-2 mRNA stability.

Here we report that lymphocyte functions were down-regulated by cyanobacterial hepatotoxin microcystin. Treatment of three microcystin (MC) isotypes, MC-LR, MC-YR and nodularin, on B6C3F1 mouse splenocytes produced dose-dependent inhibition of in vitro polyclonal antibody response and lymphoproliferation to LPS. ConA-induced lymphoproliferative response was decreased by MC-YR and nodularin, but no significant effect was observed in the MC-LR treatment. Intraperitoneal administration of nodularin into B6C3F1 mice decreased humoral immune responses to sheep red blood cell (sRBC), and the inhibitory effect became severe when hepatic uptake of nodularin was blocked by rifampicin. Each MC 1 microM suppressed phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) plus ionomycin-induced IL-2 mRNA expression in splenocytes and thymocytes, but not in EL-4 mouse thymoma cells. To further characterize the mechanism for the reduced IL-2 mRNA level, IL-2 mRNA stability was measured using RT-PCR. Deprivation of PMA/ionomycin stimuli from activated splenocytes and blockade of new transcription resulted in destabilization of IL-2 mRNA, which was accelerated by MC treatment. These results demonstrated that MC down-regulated lymphocyte functions and the immunosuppression was mediated, at least in part, through decreased IL-2 mRNA stability.

The -238 tumor necrosis factor-alpha promoter polymorphism is associated with decreased susceptibility to cancers.

We investigated the potential association of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) promoter polymorphisms with cancers. The study included 169 patients with gastric cancer, uterine cervical cancer, colorectal cancer, or renal cell carcinoma and 92 healthy controls. The -308 and -238 polymorphisms in the TNF-alpha promoter were analyzed by PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP). The proportion of individuals carrying the TNF-238A allele was significantly lower in the cancer group than in the control group. The odds ratio for cancer in subjects with the TNF-238A allele was 0.25 (95% CI, 0.10-0.64). No association was found between the -308 polymorphism and cancers. These results suggest that the -238A allele has a protective function against cancers.

Paclitaxel causes mouse splenic lymphocytes to a state hyporesponsive to lipopolysaccharide stimulation.

Multiple immune system actions have been ascribed to paclitaxel (taxol), a novel anticancer drug, including the capacity to induce macrophage antitumor cytotoxic molecule production. In the present studies, we demonstrated that paclitaxel produced a selective inhibition of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced B cell proliferation. Similarly, in vitro polyclonal antibody-forming cell responses also were found to be inhibited by paclitaxel. Conversely, paclitaxel exhibited no inhibitory effects on concanavalin A (Con A)-induced T cell proliferation. To study the pathway leading to paclitaxel-induced immunosuppression, we analyzed Raf-1/ERK and JNK/p38 MAPK pathways, both of which have been reported to be involved in LPS signaling. Our results indicate that taxol treatment inhibits Raf-1 kinase activation while having no effect on ERK activation suggesting that ERK activation is distinct from upstream Raf-1 kinase in taxol-induced immunomodulation. Furthermore, paclitaxel pretreatment caused down-regulation of stress-activated MAPKs, JNK and p38 MAPK in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated mouse splenic lymphocytes, demonstrating that spleen cells are induced to a state hyporesponsive to LPS stimulation by pre-exposing them to paclitaxel. Taken together, these results suggest that down-regulation of JNK/p38 MAP kinase may contribute to paclitaxel-induced immunosuppression in mouse splenic lymphocytes.

Hydrogen peroxide inhibits the immune response to lipopolysaccharide by attenuating signaling through c-Jun N-terminal kinase and p38 associated with protein kinase C.

This study examined the immunomodulatory effects of hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) in B6C3F1 mouse splenic lymphocytes. H(2)O(2) produced a marked and dose-related inhibition of both lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced B-cell proliferation and concanavalin A (Con A)-induced T-cell proliferation. Unexpectedly, little effect was observed with H(2)O(2) on the antibody-forming cell (AFC) response to the polyclonal B-cell activator, LPS. It was also observed that H(2)O(2) did not have any detectable effect on forskolin-stimulated adenylate cyclase, indicating that cyclic AMP (cAMP) is not a mediator of H(2)O(2)-induced suppression of the immune response. Rather, LPS-induced activation of protein kinase C (PKC) was completely inhibited when cells were pretreated with H(2)O(2) for 18 h, although PKC activity was increased approximately twofold following treatment with H(2)O(2) for 10 min. In addition, H(2)O(2) pretreatment blocked the phosphorylation of two stress-activated mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs), c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and p38 by LPS in a concentration-dependent fashion. Therefore, these data suggest that H(2)O(2) suppresses immune response through the desensitization of PKC, which subsequently results in inhibition of JNK and p38.

Suppression of IL-2 and IL-4 gene expression by nodularin through the reduced NF-AT binding activity.

Nodularin is a cyclic peptide produced by cyanobacteria. In the present study, the inhibitory effect of nodularin on T lymphocyte functions was demonstrated. Direct addition of nodularin to B6C3F1 mouse splenocyte cultures produced a concentration-dependent inhibition of the lymphoproliferative response to concanavalin A stimulation. Nodularin inhibited PMA plus ionomycin (Io)-induced IL-2 mRNA expression in murine splenocytes and thymocytes as determined by quantitative/competitive RT-PCR. To further characterize the mechanism for the transcriptional regulation of IL-2, the binding activity of transcription factors, NF-AT, AP-1, NF-kappaB, and Oct, was evaluated by electrophoretic mobility shift assays in mouse splenocytes. Nodularin reduced the NF-AT binding activity in PMA/Io-induced splenocytes, but no significant effect was observed on AP-1, NF-kappaB, or Oct binding activity. Nodularin also inhibited IL-4 mRNA expression in PMA/Io-stimulated murine splenocytes. These results suggest that T lymphocyte is a possible cellular target of nodularin, and the inhibitory effect of nodularin on T-cell specific transcription factor NF-AT induces T-cell dysfunction, which leads to a diminution in IL-2 and IL-4 gene transcription.

Role of nuclear factor of activated T-cells and activator protein-1 in the inhibition of interleukin-2 gene transcription by cannabinol in EL4 T-cells.

We previously reported that immunosuppressive cannabinoids inhibited interleukin (IL)-2 steady-state mRNA expression and secretion by phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate plus ionomycin-activated mouse splenocytes and EL4 murine T-cells. Here we show that inhibition of IL-2 production by cannabinol, a modest central nervous system-active cannabinoid, is mediated through the inhibition of IL-2 gene transcription. Moreover, electrophoretic mobility shift assays demonstrated that cannabinol markedly inhibited the DNA binding activity of nuclear factor of activated T-cells (NF-AT) and activator protein-1 (AP-1) in a time- and concentration-dependent manner in activated EL4 cells. The inhibitory effects produced by cannabinol on AP-1 DNA binding were quite transient, showing partial recovery by 240 min after cell activation and no effect on the activity of a reporter gene under the control of AP-1. Conversely, cannabinol-mediated inhibition of NF-AT was robust and sustained as demonstrated by an NF-AT-regulated reporter gene. Collectively, these results suggest that decreased IL-2 production by cannabinol in EL4 cells is due to the inhibition of transcriptional activation of the IL-2 gene and is mediated, at least in part, through a transient inhibition of AP-1 and a sustained inhibition of NF-AT.

Suppression of the interleukin-2 gene expression by aflatoxin B1 is mediated through the down-regulation of the NF-AT and AP-1 transcription factors.

The effect of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) on the interleukin-2 (IL-2) gene expression was investigated in thymocytes of B6C3F1 mice, Jurkat E6-1 human T-cell leukemia, and EL4.IL-2 murine thymoma. AFB1 inhibited the phorbol-12myristate-13-acetate/i6nomycin (PMA/Io)-induced IL-2 mRNA expression in the murine thymocytes and Jurkat E6-1 cells as determined by qualitative RT-PCR, while no effect was observed in the EL4.IL-2 cells. Electrophoretic mobility shift assay indicated that AFB1 treatment showed an inhibition of the NF-AT and AP-1 DNA binding in PMA/Io-stimulated thymocytes and Jurkat E6-1 cells. No effect was observed on the Oct and NF-kappaB DNA binding. Employing a reporter gene expression system with p(NF-AT)3-CAT and p(AP-1)3-CAT, treatment with AFB1 to the transfected Jurkat E6-1 cells also showed an inhibition of the PMA/Io-induced NF-AT/CAT and AP-1/CAT activities. These results suggest that suppression of the IL-2 gene expression by AFB1 is mediated through the down-regulation of the NF-AT and AP-1 activation.

Transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-beta1) promotes IL-2 mRNA expression through the up-regulation of NF-kappaB, AP-1 and NF-AT in EL4 cells.

Transforming growth factor beta1 (TGF-beta1) has been previously shown to modulate interleukin 2 (IL-2) secretion by activated T-cells. In the present studies, we determined that TGF-beta1 induced IL-2 mRNA expression in the murine T-cell line EL4, in the absence of other stimuli. IL-2 mRNA expression was significantly induced by TGF-beta1 (0.1-1 ng/ml) over a relatively narrow concentration range, which led to the induction of IL-2 secretion. Under identical condition, we examined the effect of TGF-beta1 on the activity of nuclear factor AT (NF-AT), nuclear factor kappaB (NF-kappaB), activator protein-1 (AP-1) and octamer, all of which contribute to the regulation of IL-2 gene expression. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays showed that TGF-beta1 markedly increased NF-AT, NF-kappaB and AP-1 binding to their respective cognate DNA binding sites, whereas octamer binding remained constant, as compared with untreated cells. Employing a reporter gene expression system with p(NF-kappaB)3-CAT, p(NF-AT)3-CAT and p(AP-1)3-CAT, TGF-beta1 treatment of transfected EL4 cells induced a dose-related increase in chloramphenicol acetyltransferase activity that correlated well with the DNA binding profile found in the electrophoretic mobility shift assay studies. These results show that TGF-beta1, in the absence of any additional stimuli, up-regulates the activity of key transcription factors involved in IL-2 gene expression, including NF-AT, NF-kappaB and AP-1, to help promote IL-2 mRNA expression by EL4 cells.

Inhibition of NF-kappa B/Rel nuclear translocation by dexamethasone: mechanism for the inhibition of iNOS gene expression.

The decrease in NO production was found to correlate well with a decrease in inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) mRNA expression as demonstrated by Northern blot analysis and quantitative RT-PCR. Since the promoter in iNOS gene contains binding motifs for NF-kappa B/Rel, NF-IL6, and Oct which appear to be important for LPS-mediated iNOS induction, the effects of DEX on the activation of these transcription factors were examined. Treatment of DEX to RAW 264.7 cells induced a dose-related inhibition of NF-kappa B/Rel in chloramphenicol acetyltransferase activity, while NF-IL6 or Oct activation was not affected by DEX. Treatment of RAW 264.7 cells with DEX inhibited DNA binding of NF-kappa B/Rel proteins to their cognate DNA site as measured by electrophoretic mobility shift assay. In addition, DEX treatment caused a significant reduction in nuclear c-rel, p65, and p50 protein contents, and these decreases were paralleled by the accumulation of cytoplasmic c-rel, p65, and p50. These results suggest that DEX may inhibit iNOS gene expression by a mechanism involving the blockade of LPS-induced nuclear translocation of NF-kappa B/Rel.