title: Platelet-activating factor enhancement of calcium influx and interleukin-6 expression, but not production, in human microglia.
abstract: Calcium-sensitive fluorescence microscopy and molecular biology analysis have been used to study the effects of platelet-activating factor (PAF) on intracellular calcium [Ca2+]i and IL-6 expression in human microglia. PAF (applied acutely at 100 nM) elicited a biphasic response in [Ca2+]i consisting of an initial rapid increase of [Ca2+]i due to release from internal stores, followed by a sustained influx. The latter phase of the [Ca2+]i increase was blocked by SKF96365, a non-selective store-operated channel (SOC) inhibitor. RT-PCR analysis showed PAF treatment of microglia induced expression of the pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-6 in a time-dependent manner which was blocked in the presence of SKF96365. However, ELISA assay showed no production of IL-6 was elicited at any time point (1-24 h) for microglial exposures to PAF. These findings suggest that PAF stimulation of human microglia induces expression, but not production, of IL-6 and that SOC-mediated [Ca2+]i influx contributes to the enhanced expression of the cytokine.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada. mclarnon@interchange.ubc.ca.
authors.forename: Prasongchai
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sattayaprasert
authors.forename: Hyun B
authors.initials: HB
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Sukumal
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chongthammakun
authors.forename: James G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: McLarnon