title: Involvement of nuclear factor-kappa B in induction of the interleukin-6 gene by leukemia inhibitory factor.
abstract: Recent studies have indicated that the leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) induces secretion of interleukin-6 (IL-6) in myeloid cells. We here show that synthesis of IL-6 by human mononuclear phagocytes exposed to recombinant human (rh) LIF is preceded by an increase of IL-6 transcript levels as a result of transcriptional activation of the IL-6 gene. Analysis of deleted fragments of the IL-6 promoter indicated that transcriptional activation of the IL-6 promoter was associated with enhanced binding activity of the transcription factor nuclear factor (NF)-kappa B. Binding of activation protein (AP)-1 and NF-IL-6, also known to transcriptionally activate the IL-6 promoter, was not inducible by LIF. Furthermore, introduction of the NF-kappa B sequence into a heterologous promoter construct, but not of AP-1- and NF-IL-6-binding sequences, conferred inducibility by LIF to this promoter. Deletion of the NF-kappa B binding site in the IL-6 promoter was associated with loss of inducibility by LIF, lending further support for the notion that the NF-kappa B binding site is crucial for LIF-mediated induction of the IL-6 promoter. Taken together, our results show that rhLIF induces IL-6 gene expression in mononuclear phagocytes through transcriptional gene activation involving NF-kappa B.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine I, University of Freiburg Medical Center, Germany.
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Gruss
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Brach
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Herrmann
mesh_terms: D001665:Binding Sites; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004247:DNA / Q000378:metabolism; D015870:Gene Expression; D013006:Growth Hormone / Q000235:genetics; D006131:Growth Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*; D007700:Kinetics; D053605:Leukemia Inhibitory Factor; D008222:Lymphokines / Q000494:pharmacology*; D016328:NF-kappa B / Q000378:metabolism*; D010586:Phagocytes / Q000378:metabolism*; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000494:pharmacology; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
chemical_list: D006131:Growth Inhibitors; D015850:Interleukin-6; C507837:LIF protein, human; D053605:Leukemia Inhibitory Factor; D008222:Lymphokines; D016328:NF-kappa B; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; D013006:Growth Hormone; D004247:DNA