title: MaxiK blockade selectively inhibits the lipopolysaccharide-induced I kappa B-alpha /NF-kappa B signaling pathway in macrophages.
abstract: Macrophages have a pivotal function in innate immunity against bacterial infections. They are present in all body compartments and able to detect invading microorganisms with high sensitivity. LPS (endotoxin) of Gram-negative bacteria is among the most potent stimuli for macrophages and initiates a wide panel of cellular activation responses. The release of mediators such as TNF-alpha and ILs is essential for the initiation of a proinflammatory antibacterial response. Here, we show that blockade of the large-conductance Ca2+ -activated potassium channel MaxiK (BK) inhibited cytokine production from LPS-stimulated macrophages at the transcriptional level. This inhibitory effect of channel blockade was specific to stimulation with LPS and affected neither stimulation of macrophages with the cytokine TNF-alpha nor LPS-induced activation of cells that do not express MaxiK. Investigation of the upstream intracellular signaling pathways induced by LPS revealed that the blockade of MaxiK selectively inhibited signaling pathways leading to the activation of the transcription factor NF-kappaB and the MAPK p38, whereas activation of ERK was unaffected. We present data supporting that proximal regulation of the inhibitory factor IkappaB-alpha is critically involved in the observed inhibition of NF-kappaB translocation. Using alveolar macrophages from rats, we could show that the necessity of MaxiK function in activation of NF-kappaB and subsequent cytokine production is not restricted to in vitro-generated monocyte-derived macrophages but also can be observed in primary cells. Thus, MaxiK appears to be a central molecule in the NF-kappaB-dependent inflammatory response of macrophages to bacterial LPS.
authors.affiliation: Research Center Borstel, Center for Medicine and Biosciences, Department of Immunochemistry and Biochemical Microbiology, Borstel, Germany.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Papavlassopoulos
authors.forename: Cordula
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Stamme
authors.forename: Lutz
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Thon
authors.forename: Dieter
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Adam
authors.forename: Doris
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hillemann
authors.forename: Ulrich
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Seydel
authors.forename: Andra B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Schromm
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D020672:I-kappa B Proteins / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000502:physiology; D007211:Indoles / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007249:Inflammation / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D051037:Large-Conductance Calcium-Activated Potassium Channel alpha Subunits / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000502:physiology; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000276:immunology*; D016676:Macrophages, Alveolar / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology*; D000072000:NF-KappaB Inhibitor alpha; D016328:NF-kappa B / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000502:physiology; D026902:Potassium Channel Blockers / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D020672:I-kappa B Proteins; D007211:Indoles; C494841:KCNMA1 protein, human; D051037:Large-Conductance Calcium-Activated Potassium Channel alpha Subunits; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D016328:NF-kappa B; C000606204:NFKBIA protein, human; C000606206:Nfkbia protein, rat; D026902:Potassium Channel Blockers; D000072000:NF-KappaB Inhibitor alpha; C048220:paxilline