Modified expression of c-Fos and c-Jun proteins and production of interleukin-1 beta in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the relationship between the expression of c-Fos and c-Jun proteins and the


METHODS
The expression of c-Fos and c-Jun proteins and the production of IL-1 beta in the PBMC of 11 patients with active RA was determine by Western blots and ELISA techniques, respectively.


RESULTS
The spontaneous expression of c-Fos protein and the production of IL-1 beta was higher in RA patients. Under LPS treatment, the PBMC of both RA patients and healthy subjects produced similar high levels of IL-1 beta without any significant changes in the expression of c-Fos and c-Jun proteins. By contrast, PMA-induced production of IL-1 beta was impaired in RA patients and was preceded by the disregulated expression of c-Fos and c-Jun proteins when compared with healthy donors.


CONCLUSIONS
It can be postulated that in some RA patients the spontaneously high production of IL-1 beta may be associated with the up-regulated expression of c-Fos protein in PBMC. On the other hand the impairment of IL-1 beta production in RA induced by the PKC-dependent pathway, may be related to disturbances in c-Fos and c-Jun protein expression. This dysfunction seems to be compensated by some unknown mechanisms implicated in LPS signalling, which is known to involve not only the PKC-mediated pathway.
Kontny
E
E
Department of Pathophysiology and Immunology, Institute of Rheumatology, Warsaw, Poland.
Ziólkowska
M
M
Dudzińka
E
E
Filipowicz-Sosnowska
A
A
Ryzewska
A
A
D000368:Aged; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000097:blood*; D015153:Blotting, Western; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007375:Interleukin-1 / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000494:pharmacology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009000:Monocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D016760:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos / Q000097:blood*; D016755:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-jun / Q000097:blood*; D012016:Reference Values; D013755:Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate / Q000494:pharmacology
D007375:Interleukin-1; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D016760:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos; D016755:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-jun; D013755:Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate