title: Tumor necrosis factor and immune interferon synergistically increase transcription of HLA class I heavy- and light-chain genes in vascular endothelium.
abstract: Tumor necrosis factor and immune interferon synergistically increase cell-surface expression of class I major histocompatibility complex molecules in cultured human endothelial cells. We report that tumor necrosis factor and interferon gamma each independently increase mRNA levels and together cause a greater-than-additive (i.e., synergistic) increase in steady-state mRNA levels and transcriptional rates of the class I heavy- and light-chain genes. HLA heavy-chain mRNA is equally stable in cytokine-treated and -untreated endothelial cells. Interferon gamma does not increase tumor necrosis factor receptor number or affinity on human endothelial cells. We conclude that the synergistic increase in class I major histocompatibility complex cell-surface expression results principally from the synergistic increase in transcriptional rates. We propose that this increase is caused by the cooperative binding of independently activated transcription factors to the promoter/enhancer sequences of class I genes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115.
authors.forename: D R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Pober
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000378:metabolism; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004357:Drug Synergism; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology*; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D005805:Genes, MHC Class I / Q000187:drug effects*; D015395:Histocompatibility Antigens Class I / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D007370:Interferon Type I / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000494:pharmacology*; D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface / Q000378:metabolism; D018124:Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid; D014158:Transcription, Genetic / Q000187:drug effects*; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D015395:Histocompatibility Antigens Class I; D007370:Interferon Type I; D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface; D018124:Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D007371:Interferon-gamma