title: Induction of proto-oncogene and cytokine expression in human peripheral blood monocytes and the monocytic cell line THP-1 after stimulation with mycoplasma-derived material MDHM.
abstract: Mycoplasma fermentans-derived high-molecular-weight material (MDHM) was originally described to induce differentiation of murine thymocytes to cytolytic effector T-cells by stimulating IL-6 release from adherent cells. This study shows that human peripheral blood monocytes (PBMo) also respond to MDHM with increases in IL-1 beta, IL-6 and TNF alpha expression, both at the mRNA and protein level. The induced expression of IL-1 beta and TNF alpha mRNA in the monocytic THP-1 cell line increased as quickly as in primary cells. In contrast to PBMo, THP-1 and 14 other monocytic/myeloid leukemia-derived cell lines did not secrete measurable amounts of the cytokines upon treatment with MDHM. IL-1 beta and IL-6 genes contain AP-1 binding sites as regulatory elements, the AP-1 protein being composed of c-jun and c-fos gene products. In THP-1 cells c-jun mRNA expression increased after incubation with MDHM while positive c-fos expression remained unaffected. Although these data suggest AP-1 regulated cytokine mRNA expression, results from PBMo are not in accordance with this notion. In the primary cells MDHM-induced elevation of cytokine mRNA levels was preceded by a downregulation of c-fos expression while positive c-jun expression was not modulated. c-myc mRNA expression, constitutively high in THP-1 cells, was induced in MDHM-stimulated PBMo. In conclusion, MDHM-stimulated induction of cytokine mRNA expression was accompanied by different proto-oncogene responses in PBMo and THP-1 cells. These differences may represent different regulatory pathways of the two cell systems. Alternatively, these data support the notion that neither AP-1 nor the c-myc protein are involved in the MDHM-induced increase in IL-1 beta, IL-6 or TNF alpha mRNA levels. Furthermore, the present results demonstrate clearly that mycoplasma products can have a profound impact on the activation status of eukaryotic cells.
authors.affiliation: DSM-German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures, Department of Human and Animal Cell Cultures, Braunschweig.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Quentmeier
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Schumann-Kindel
authors.forename: P F
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: Mühlradt
authors.forename: H G
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Drexler
mesh_terms: D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002460:Cell Line; D006801:Humans; D007375:Interleukin-1 / Q000378:metabolism*; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D009000:Monocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D016858:Mycoplasma fermentans; D000090063:Proto-Oncogene Mas; D016760:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos / Q000378:metabolism*; D016755:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-jun / Q000378:metabolism*; D016271:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc / Q000378:metabolism*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D013997:Time Factors; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D007375:Interleukin-1; D015850:Interleukin-6; C000715470:MAS1 protein, human; D000090063:Proto-Oncogene Mas; D016760:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos; D016755:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-jun; D016271:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha