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Differential involvement of NF‐κB and MAP kinase pathways in the generation of inflammatory cytokines by human neutrophils
Author(s) -
Cloutier Alexandre,
Ear Thornin,
BlaisCharron Emilie,
Dubois Claire M.,
McDonald Patrick P.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
journal of leukocyte biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.819
H-Index - 191
eISSN - 1938-3673
pISSN - 0741-5400
DOI - 10.1189/jlb.0806536
Subject(s) - proinflammatory cytokine , mapk/erk pathway , p38 mitogen activated protein kinases , chemokine , biology , nf κb , microbiology and biotechnology , cytokine , inflammation , signal transduction , kinase , mitogen activated protein kinase , tumor necrosis factor alpha , regulation of gene expression , immunology , gene , genetics
The ability of human neutrophils to express a variety of genes encoding inflammatory mediators is well documented, and mounting evidence suggests that neutrophil‐derived cytokines and chemokines contribute to the recruitment of discrete leukocyte populations at inflammatory sites. Despite this, our understanding of the signaling intermediates governing the generation of inflammatory cytokines by neutrophils remains fragmentary. Here, we report that inhibitors of the p38 MAPK and MEK pathways substantially diminish the release of (and in the case of p38 inhibitors, the gene expression of) several inflammatory cytokines in neutrophils stimulated with LPS or TNF. In addition, various NF‐κB inhibitors were found to profoundly impede the inducible gene expression and release of inflammatory cytokines in these cells. The MAPK inhibitors did not affect NF‐κB activation; instead, the transcriptional effects of the p38 MAPK inhibitor appear to involve transcriptional factor IID. Conversely, the NF‐κB inhibitors failed to affect the activation of MAPKs. Finally, the MAPK inhibitors were found to prevent the activation a key component of the translational machinery, S6 ribosomal protein, in keeping with their post‐transcriptional impact on cytokine generation. To our knowledge, this constitutes the first demonstration that in neutrophils, the inducible expression of proinflammatory cytokines by physiological stimuli largely reflects the ability of the latter to activate NF‐κB and selected MAPK pathways. Our data also raise the possibility that NF‐κB or MAPK inhibitors could be useful in the treatment of inflammatory disorders in which neutrophils predominate.