Inhibition of rat RAW264.7 macrophage inflammatory cytokines release by small hairpin RNAi targeting Toll-like receptor

Abstract

To construct a eukaryotic expression vector carrying the small hairpin RNA (shRNA) for Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) mRNA and a reporter gene of enhanced green fluorescence protein (EGFP) and study the inhibition of cytokine release by rat RAW264.7 macrophages induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation through transfection and expression of shRNA targeting TLR4 gene via the RNAi mechanism. The H1 promotor and double BbsIrestrict endoenzyme site from the plasmid psiRNA-hH1neo were cloned into the reporter gene plasmid pEGFP-C1 at the MluIrestrict endoenzymic site, thus forming the plasmid pEGFP-H1/siRNA containing Bbs site and reporter EGFP gene. Then an oligo nuclear hairpin sequence targeting TLR4 gene was designed by the internet tool siRNA Wizard and then inserted into the plasmid pEGFP-H1/siRNA so as to form the plasmid pEGFP-H1/TLR4-siRNA. Rat macrophages of the line RAW264.7 were cultured and transfected with pEGFP-H1/TLR4-siRNA mediated by lipofectamine 2000. Another RAW264.7 cells were transfected with pEGFP-H1/control sequence-siRNA or blank plasmid. Lipopolysaccharide was added into the 3 kinds of culture fluid for 2 and 68 hours respectively. ELSA was used to detect the levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) in the supernatants. Restriction endonuclease analysis showed that the construction pEGFP-H1/TLR4-siRNA carrying hairpin RNA for TLR4 gene and reporter EGFP gene was successful. The expression of EGFP gene was 50% +/- 8%. The TNF-alpha level of the TLR4-siRNA transfection group 2 hours and after transfection was 825 pg/ml +/- 136 pg/ml, significantly lower than those of the pEGFP-H1/control sequence-siRNA and blank plasmid groups (2190 pg/ml +/- 359 pg/ml and 1265 pg/ml +/- 283 pg/ml respectively, both P < 0.01). The TNF-alpha level of the TLR4-siRNA transfection group 8 hours and after transfection was 1179 pg/ml +/- 240 pg/ml, significantly lower than those of the pEGFP-H1/control sequence-siRNA and blank plasmid groups (4720 pg/ml +/- 227 pg/ml and 4689 pg/ml +/- 310 pg/ml respectively, both P < 0.01). shRNA targeting TLR4 gene can inhibit the TNF-alpha release by RAW264.7 cells evoked by LPS.