The effects of IKK-beta inhibition on early NF-kappa-B activation and transcription of downstream genes.

Small molecule approaches targeting the nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kB) pathway, a regulator of inflammation, have thus far proven unsuccessful in the clinic in part due to the complex pleiotropic nature of this network. Downstream effects depend on multiple factors including stimulus-specific temporal patterns of NF-kB activity. Despite considerable advances, genome-level impact of changes in temporal NF-kB activity caused by inhibitors and their stimulus dependency remains unexplored. This study evaluates the effects of pathway inhibitors on early NF-κB activity and downstream gene transcription. 3T3 fibroblasts were treated with SC-514, an inhibitor targeted to the NF-kB pathway, prior to stimulation with interleukin 1 beta (IL-1ß) or tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α). Stimulus induced NF-κB activation was quantified using immunofluorescence imaging over 90-minutes and gene expression tracked over 6-hours using mRNA TagSeq. When stimulated with IL-1ß or TNF-α, significant differences (P < 0.05, two-way ANOVA), were observed in the temporal profiles of NF-κB activation between treated and untreated cells. Increasing numbers of differentially expressed genes (P < 0.01) were observed at higher inhibitor concentrations. Individual gene expression profiles varied in an inhibitor concentration and stimulus-dependent manner. The results in this study demonstrate small molecule inhibitors acting on pleiotropic pathway components can alter signal dynamics in a stimulus-dependent manner and affect gene response in complex ways.

Iterative Modeling Reveals Evidence of Sequential Transcriptional Control Mechanisms.

Combinatorial control of gene expression is presumed to be mediated by molecular interactions between coincident transcription factors (TFs). While information on the genome-wide locations of TFs is available, the genes they regulate and whether they function combinatorially often remain open questions. Here, we developed a mechanistic, rather than statistical, modeling approach to elucidate TF control logic from gene expression data. Applying this approach to hundreds of genes in 85 datasets measuring the transcriptional responses of murine fibroblasts and macrophages to cytokines and pathogens, we found that stimulus-responsive TFs generally function sequentially in logical OR gates or singly. Logical AND gates were found between NF-κB-responsive mRNA synthesis and MAPKp38-responsive control of mRNA half-life, but not between temporally coincident TFs. Our analyses identified the functional target genes of each of the pathogen-responsive TFs and prompt a revision of the conceptual underpinnings of combinatorial control of gene expression to include sequentially acting molecular mechanisms that govern mRNA synthesis and decay.