Production of interleukin I during the course of inflammation and its biological significance.
In order to shed some light on the mechanism by which inflammation modulates the immune response, the kinetics of IL-1 production and of the cells producing it as well as the control mechanisms involved were studied in a variety of animal models. In the case of casein-induced peritoneal inflammation in rabbits, IL-1 beta mRNA expression was found to be limited to the early stage--peaking at 2 h and lasting for only 5 h, a period corresponding to that in which new antigen introduction induces an enhanced immune response. This suggests that IL-1 beta is an inflammation-induced immune potentiation factor. Among 5-h peritoneal exudate cells (PEC) staining with anti-rabbit-IL-1 beta goat antibody, 99% were PMNs. Surprisingly, 9-h and 16-h PECs, which display negative IL-1 activity, also stained for IL-1 beta antigen. This seemingly contradictory data can be explained by the existence of a hypothetical processing protease subject to limited activation, and by a newly isolated 13 kD IL-1 antagonist produced during the later stages of inflammation.
Yoshinaga
M
M
Kumamoto University Medical School, Japan.
D000818:Animals; D002364:Caseins; D007249:Inflammation / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000276:immunology*; D007375:Interleukin-1 / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D051379:Mice; D008809:Mice, Inbred C3H; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000378:metabolism; D011817:Rabbits; D051381:Rats; D013997:Time Factors
D002364:Caseins; D007375:Interleukin-1