title: Subcellular localization of human monocyte interleukin 1: evidence for an inactive precursor molecule and a possible mechanism for IL 1 release.
abstract: IL 1 activity, as assayed by the proliferation of responsive mouse thymocytes and a human astrocytoma cell line, was detected on the membrane of 1% paraformaldehyde-fixed activated human monocytes. Resting, unactivated monocytes did not display IL 1 activity. Maximum induction of membrane IL 1 was obtained from monocytes treated with polyclonal activators, such as LPS or Staphylococcus aureus, whereas adherence was a weak inducer of membrane IL 1. Isolated cell compartments as plasma membranes, crude lysosomes, and crude cytosol from activated human monocytes expressed significant IL 1 activity, whereas the endoplasmic reticulum showed no IL 1 activity. Exposure to trypsin of either fixed, activated human monocytes or cell compartments from unfixed monocytes, revealed biologically active IL 1 in the membrane, crude lysosome, and crude cytosol, but not in the endoplasmic reticulum. The IL 1 activity in the purified cytosol, prepared by extraction with digitonin, was considerably increased by the trypsin treatment, whereas the increase in IL 1 activity within crude lysosomes and plasma membranes was less. The cell compartments from nonactivated monocytes did not express active IL 1 and trypsin treatment revealed no active IL 1, suggesting the absence of a pool of the trypsin-sensitive form of IL 1. The data confirm the presence of membrane-bound IL 1 in activated human monocytes and indicate that an inactive precursor molecule can be found in the cytosol of such cells. Furthermore, the absence of IL 1 activity either in its active form or as the inactive precursor in the endoplasmic reticulum suggests that IL 1 is not a conventionally secreted protein. Because IL 1 was found in the cytosol as a precursor and in the lysosomal fractions in an active form, these data suggest that after the synthesis and processing of the cytosolic precursor, the 17-kda IL 1, is released via lysosomal vesicles.
mesh_terms: D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000032:analysis; D003600:Cytosol / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D007375:Interleukin-1 / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000187:drug effects; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism; D009000:Monocytes / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D011498:Protein Precursors / Q000032:analysis; D011499:Protein Processing, Post-Translational
chemical_list: D007375:Interleukin-1; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D011498:Protein Precursors