title: Interleukin-6 increases insulin secretion and preproinsulin mRNA expression via Ca2+-dependent mechanism.
abstract: Interleukin (IL)-6, one of the cytokines released from inflammatory cells, stimulates insulin secretion in a physiological concentration (1-100 pg/ml), but the exact mechanism is still unknown. The present studies were undertaken to investigate the mechanism of IL-6-induced stimulation of insulin secretion in HIT-T 15 cells. The effects of the addition of nifedipine on the IL-6 (100 pg/ml)-induced stimulation of insulin secretion were investigated. We also examined the possibility that IL-6 (1-100 pg/ml) may stimulate insulin messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) expression, using the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction method. The addition of 100 and 1000 nM nifedipine significantly attenuated the stimulatory effects of 100 pg/ml IL-6 on insulin secretion. The addition of 1-100 pg/ml IL-6 dose-dependently increased preproinsulin mRNA expression relative to beta-actin mRNA. IL-6 increased insulin gene promoter activity of fragments A (-2188 to +337 bp) and B (-1782 to +270 bp) but not fragments C (-1275 to +270 bp), D (-1138 to +270 bp), E (-880 to +236 bp) or F (-356 to +252 bp). The addition of 10 nM nifedipine completely abolished the stimulatory effect of 10-100 pg/ml IL-6 on relative preproinsulin mRNA expression. These data raised the possibility that IL-6 increased preproinsulin mRNA expression via the stimulation of Ca(2+) influx which enhances insulin gene expression.
authors.affiliation: The First Department of Internal Medicine, Gunma University School of Medicine, Maebashi, Japan. hshimizu@akagi.sb.gunma-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shimizu
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ohtani
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kato
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mori
mesh_terms: D000199:Actins / Q000235:genetics; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism*; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers / Q000494:pharmacology; D002460:Cell Line; D006224:Cricetinae; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D007328:Insulin / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D000078790:Insulin Secretion; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007515:Islets of Langerhans / Q000378:metabolism*; D009543:Nifedipine / Q000494:pharmacology; D011384:Proinsulin / Q000235:genetics*; D011498:Protein Precursors / Q000235:genetics*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D013268:Stimulation, Chemical
chemical_list: D000199:Actins; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers; D007328:Insulin; D015850:Interleukin-6; D011498:Protein Precursors; D012333:RNA, Messenger; C013737:preproinsulin; D011384:Proinsulin; D009543:Nifedipine; D002118:Calcium