title: Involvement of the IL-2 receptor gamma-chain (gammac) in the control by IL-4 of human monocyte and macrophage proinflammatory mediator production.
abstract: IL-4 has potent anti-inflammatory properties on monocytes and suppresses both IL-1beta and TNF-alpha production. Well-characterized components of the IL-4 receptor on monocytes include the 140-kDa alpha-chain and the IL-2R gamma-chain, gammac, which normally dimerize 1:1 for signaling from the receptor. However, mRNA levels for gammac were very low in 7-day-cultured monocytes. As mRNA levels for gammac declined with culture, so too did the ability of IL-4 to down-regulate LPS-induced TNF-alpha production. In contrast, IL-4 consistently down-regulated IL-1beta production by cultured monocytes. Immunoprecipitation and Western blot analyses demonstrated that 7-day-cultured monocytes do not express the functionally active 64-kDa gammac protein. This was associated with decreased STAT6 activation by IL-4. Studies with Abs to gammac and an IL-4 mutant that is unable to bind to gammac showed that IL-4 can suppress IL-1beta but not TNF-alpha production by LPS-stimulated monocytes in the presence of little or no functioning gammac. IL-4 also suppressed IL-1beta but not TNF-alpha production by Mono Mac 6 cells, which express minimal levels of gammac. For gammac-expressing LPS/PMA-activated U937 cells, IL-4 decreased both TNF-alpha and IL-1beta production. These results suggest that functional gammac is not present on in vitro-derived macrophages, and that while some anti-inflammatory responses to IL-4 are lost with this down-regulation of functional gammac, others are retained. We conclude that different functional responses to IL-4 by human monocytes and macrophages are regulated by different IL-4 receptor configurations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, School of Medicine, Flinders University of South Australia, Adelaide.
authors.forename: C S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Bonder
authors.forename: H L
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Dickensheets
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Finlay-Jones
authors.forename: R P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Donnelly
authors.forename: P H
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Hart
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D002460:Cell Line; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D017931:DNA Primers / Q000235:genetics; D015536:Down-Regulation; D006801:Humans; D018836:Inflammation Mediators / Q000378:metabolism*; D007375:Interleukin-1 / Q000096:biosynthesis; D015847:Interleukin-4 / Q000235:genetics / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000494:pharmacology; D008264:Macrophages / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D009000:Monocytes / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D009154:Mutation; D011487:Protein Conformation; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D015375:Receptors, Interleukin-2 / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D019948:Receptors, Interleukin-4 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D050800:STAT6 Transcription Factor; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000378:metabolism; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000096:biosynthesis
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D018836:Inflammation Mediators; D007375:Interleukin-1; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D015375:Receptors, Interleukin-2; D019948:Receptors, Interleukin-4; D050800:STAT6 Transcription Factor; C494101:STAT6 protein, human; D015534:Trans-Activators; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D015847:Interleukin-4