title: Interferon-gamma regulation of C3 gene expression in human astroglioma cells.
abstract: In this report, we show that the human astroglioma cell line, D54-MG, constitutively expresses C3 mRNA and secretes antigenically detectable C3 protein. The cytokine interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) enhances C3 mRNA and protein expression by D54-MG cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner. C3 mRNA from both D54-MG cells and primary human adult astrocytes has the same apparent size (5.1-5.2 kb) as C3 mRNA from hepatocyte and monocyte cell lines. Constitutive C3 mRNA levels in D54-MG cells and primary human astrocytes are comparable. Primary rat astrocytes also constitutively express C3 mRNA, which is enhanced upon exposure to IFN-gamma. These data are novel since expression of C3 in other cell types is refractory to IFN-gamma. In the central nervous system (CNS), endogenous complement production by astrocytes, and enhancement by the cytokine IFN-gamma, may contribute to the pathogenesis of inflammatory demyelinating diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS).
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, University of Alabama, Birmingham 35294.
authors.forename: S R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Barnum
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: E N
authors.initials: EN
authors.lastname: Benveniste
mesh_terms: D001253:Astrocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D001254:Astrocytoma / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D003176:Complement C3 / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007700:Kinetics; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D015854:Up-Regulation
chemical_list: D003176:Complement C3; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D007371:Interferon-gamma