Live Borrelia burgdorferi preferentially activate interleukin-1 beta gene expression and protein synthesis over the interleukin-1 receptor antagonist.

Lyme arthritis is one of the few forms of chronic arthritis in which the cause is known with certainty. Because cytokines are thought to contribute to the pathogenesis of chronic arthritis, we investigated the effect of the Lyme disease spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi, on the gene expression and synthesis of IL-1 beta and the IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra) in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Live B. burgdorferi induced fivefold more IL-1 beta than IL-1 alpha and sevenfold more IL-1 beta than IL-1ra; LPS or sonicated B. burgdorferi induced similar amounts of all three cytokines. This preferential induction of IL-1 beta was most dramatic in response to a low passage, virulent preparation of B. burgdorferi vs. three high passage avirulent strains. No difference in induction of IL-1ra was seen between these strains. The marked induction of IL-1 beta was partially diminished by heat-treatment and abrogated by sonication; IL-1ra was not affected. This suggested that a membrane component(s) accounted for the preferential induction of IL-1 beta. However, recombinant outer surface protein beta induced little IL-1 beta. By 4 h after stimulation, B. burgdorferi induced sixfold more IL-1 beta protein than LPS. In contrast to LPS-induced IL-1 beta mRNA which reached maximal accumulation after 3 h, B. burgdorferi-induced IL-1 beta mRNA showed biphasic elevations at 3 and 18 h. B. burgdorferi-induced IL-1ra mRNA peaked at 12 h, whereas LPS-induced IL-1ra mRNA peaked at 9 h. IL-1 beta synthesis increased in response to increasing numbers of spirochetes, whereas IL-1ra synthesis did not. The preferential induction by B. burgdorferi of IL-1 beta over IL-1ra is an example of excess agonist over antagonist synthesis induced by a microbial pathogen, and may contribute to the destructive lesion of Lyme arthritis.     

Interleukin-1 alpha has antiallodynic and antihyperalgesic activities in a rat neuropathic pain model

Nerve injury and the consequent release of interleukins (ILs) are processes implicated in pain transmission. To study the potential role of IL-1 in the pathogenesis of allodynia and hyperalgesia, IL-1alpha and comparative IL-1beta, IL-6, and IL-10 mRNA levels were quantified using competitive RT-PCR of the lumbar spinal cord and dorsal root ganglia (DRG; L5-L6) three and seven days after chronic constriction injury (CCI) in rats. Microglial and astroglial activation in the ipsilateral spinal cord and DRG were observed after injury. In naive and CCI-exposed rats, IL-1alpha mRNA and protein were not detected in the spinal cord. IL-1beta and IL-6 mRNAs were strongly ipsilaterally elevated on day seven after CCI. In the ipsilateral DRG, IL-1alpha, IL-6, and IL-10 mRNA levels were increased on days three and seven; IL-1beta was elevated only on day seven. Western blot analysis revealed both the presence of IL-1alpha proteins (45 and 31 kDa) in the DRG and the down-regulation of these proteins after CCI. Intrathecal administration of IL-1alpha (50-500 ng) in naive rats did not influence nociceptive transmission, but IL-1beta (50-500 ng) induced hyperalgesia. In rats exposed to CCI, an IL-1alpha or IL-1 receptor antagonist dose-dependently attenuated symptoms of neuropathic pain; however, no effect of IL-1beta was observed. In sum, the first days after CCI showed a high abundance of IL-1alpha in the DRG. Together with the antiallodynic and antihyperalgesic effects observed after IL-1alpha administration, this finding indicates an important role for IL-1alpha in the development of neuropathic pain symptoms.     

Inducible interleukin-1 gene expression in human vascular smooth muscle cells.

Interleukin-1 (IL-1) mediates many components of generalized host response to injury and may also contribute to local vascular pathology during immune or inflammatory responses. Because altered function of smooth muscle cells (SMC) accompanies certain vascular diseases, we tested whether SMC themselves might produce this hormone. Unstimulated SMC contain little or no IL-1 mRNA. However, exposure to bacterial endotoxin caused accumulation of IL-1 mRNA in SMC cultured from human vessels. Endotoxin maximally increased IL-1 beta mRNA in SMC after 4-6 h. The lowest effective concentration of endotoxin was 10 pg/ml. 10 ng/ml produced maximal increases in IL-1 beta mRNA. Interleukin-1 alpha mRNA was detected when SMC were incubated with endotoxin under "superinduction" conditions with cycloheximide. Endotoxin-stimulated SMC also released biologically functional IL-1, measured as thymocyte costimulation activity inhibitable by anti-IL-1 antibody. Thus, human SMC can express IL-1 beta and IL-1 alpha genes, or very similar ones, and secrete biologically active product in response to a pathological stimulus. Endogenous local production of this inflammatory mediator by the blood vessel wall's major cell type could play an important early role in the pathogenesis of vasculitis and arteriosclerosis.     

Cell cycle-dependent interleukin 1 gene expression by cultured glomerular mesangial cells.

Glomerular mesangial cell (MC)--derived IL-1 may be an important factor in the development of the hypercellularity and sclerosis characteristic of many forms of glomerulonephritis. To define the regulation of IL-1 synthesis by human MC, Northern blot analyses were performed using specific probes for monocytic IL-1 alpha and beta mRNA. Proliferating MC expressed mRNA for both IL-1 alpha and beta, whereas nonproliferating MC contained no detectable IL-1 mRNA. Synchronized MC expressed IL-1 alpha and beta mRNA within 2 h of stimulation with serum. This serum effect could be reproduced with platelet-derived growth factor and epidermal growth factor. Immune precipitations of 35S-methionine-labeled cells indicate that the mesangial IL-1 is synthesized as a 33-kD precursor protein with a pI of 7.2. Extracellular mesangial IL-1 has a pI of 7.0 and molecular weight of 17 kD, consistent with its identification as IL-1 beta. Cellular proliferation in glomerular disease may be driven in part by peptide growth factor-mediated induction of mesangial IL-1 gene expression and protein synthesis.     

Interleukin 1 gene expression in adult T cell leukemia.

The adult T cell leukemia (ATL) is a T cell neoplasm etiologically associated with human T lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I) infection. ATL cells often abnormally express interleukin 2 (IL-2) receptors, and ATL patients may show clinical evidence of hypercalcemia, osteolytic bone lesions, or increased bone turnover. Whereas interleukin 1 (IL-1) is not generally recognized as a product of T cells, this cytokine is capable of both altering IL-2 receptor expression and activating osteoclasts. Thus, we investigated the possibility that primary ATL leukemic T cells and HTLV-I-infected long-term ATL cell lines produce IL-1. S1 nuclease protection assays demonstrated that primary leukemic ATL cells from five out of six patients, as well as one patient with T4+ chronic lymphocytic leukemia, contained considerable quantities of IL-1 beta messenger RNA (mRNA) and small amounts of IL-1 alpha mRNA. These primary leukemic T cells also released biologically active IL-1 protein as evaluated in the murine thymocyte comitogenesis bioassay. In contrast to primary tumor cells, four out of six long-term ATL cell lines produced variable amounts of IL-1 alpha mRNA in the absence of detectable IL-1 beta mRNA as measured by S1 nuclease protection. These data demonstrate that IL-1 gene (especially IL-1 beta) expression occurs in many primary HTLV-I-infected leukemic T cells raising the possibility that this mediator may play a role in the pathological changes associated with this leukemia. Also, these studies show that the pattern of IL-1 alpha and IL-1 beta gene expression differs between primary ATL tumor cells and long-term cultured ATL cell lines, indicating an interesting biological difference in these two HTLV-I-infected cell populations.     

Interleukin-8 gene expression by a pulmonary epithelial cell line. A model for cytokine networks in the lung.

Cellular constituents of the alveolar-capillary wall may be key participants in the recruitment of polymorphonuclear leukocytes to the lung through the generation of the novel neutrophil chemotactic peptide interleukin-8 (IL-8). This interaction appears to occur via the ability of human alveolar macrophage (AM)-derived monokines, tumor necrosis factor (TNF), and interleukin-1 (IL-1) to induce gene expression of IL-8 from pulmonary type II-like epithelial cells (A549). Northern blot analysis demonstrated that steady-state IL-8 mRNA expression, by either TNF- or IL-1 beta-treated A549 cells, occurred in both a dose- and time-dependent fashion. Similarly, extracellular antigenic IL-8, as assessed by specific ELISA, was expressed from TNF- or IL-1 beta-stimulated epithelial cells in a time-dependent fashion with maximal IL-8 antigen detected at 24 h poststimulation. Immunohistochemical staining utilizing rabbit anti-human IL-8 antibody identified immunoreactive, cell-associated IL-8 antigen as early as 8 h post-TNF or IL-1 beta stimulation. A549-generated neutrophil chemotactic bioactivity paralleled IL-8 steady-state mRNA levels. Signal specificity was demonstrated in this system as IL-8 mRNA or protein expression by lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-treated A549 cells was not different from unstimulated cells. Although LPS did not serve as a direct stimulus for the production of IL-8 by type II-like epithelial cells, the condition media from LPS-challenged AM induced a significant expression of IL-8 mRNA by the A549 cells. 24-h conditioned media from LPS-treated cells was as potent as either IL-1 beta or TNF in generating steady-state IL-8 mRNA by A549 cells. Preincubation of LPS-treated AM-conditioned media with anti-human TNF or IL-1 beta neutralizing antibodies resulted in significant abrogation of IL-8 gene expression by A549 pulmonary epithelial cells. These findings demonstrate potential cell-to-cell communication circuits that may be important between AMs and pulmonary epithelial cells during the recruitment phase of acute lung inflammation.     

Interleukin 10 (IL-10) upregulates IL-1 receptor antagonist production from lipopolysaccharide-stimulated human polymorphonuclear leukocytes by delaying mRNA degradation

Polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) have been identified as cells capable of producing a number of pro- and antiinflammatory cytokines in response to specific agonists. Previously, we showed that tumor necrosis factor (TNF), interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta), and IL-8, are produced by PMN after stimulation with agonists, such as lipopolysaccharide (LPS). In this study, we demonstrate that LPS is also a potent stimulus for the mRNA expression and release of the IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra). In addition, we show that the release of IL-1ra from LPS-stimulated PMN is markedly potentiated in the presence of IL-10 (from two to threefold after 18 h of stimulation). Moreover, we observed that this upregulation of IL-1ra production by IL-10 in LPS- stimulated PMN took place through IL-1ra mRNA stabilization. Indeed, the half-life of IL-1ra mRNA was prolonged in PMN stimulated in the presence of IL-10 and LPS, as compared with cells stimulated with LPS alone. That IL-10 selectively upregulates IL-1ra production in LPS- activated PMN, while it inhibits the production of IL-1 beta, TNF, and IL-8 under the same conditions, suggests that IL-10 may be an important physiologic regulator of cytokine production from PMN, and emphasizes the potential role of IL-10 in inflammatory responses.