IL-1alpha Protein Levels Research Articles

Interleukin‐1α stimulation in monocytes by periodontal bacteria: antagonistic effects of Porphyromonas gingivalis

Periodontal pathogenic bacteria are associated with elevated levels of interleukin-1alpha (IL-1alpha) but it is unclear if all species can induce cytokine production equally. Porphyromonas gingivalis may be able antagonize IL-1alpha induced by other species through the activity of its proteases or lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Monomac-6 cells and primary human monocytes were treated with culture supernatants from Porphyromonas gingivalis, Fusobacterium nucleatum, Campylobacter rectus, Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans, Prevotella intermedius, Veillonella atypical and Prevotella nigrescens. IL-1alpha protein levels were measured after 6 h of incubation. In addition, monocytes were co-stimulated with supernatants from P. gingivalis and other bacteria. The role of P. gingivalis proteases was tested using Arg-X and Lys-X mutant strains. The role of LPS was investigated using purified P. gingivalis LPS and polymixin depletion. All species tested induced significant IL-1alpha production, but P. gingivalis was the weakest. Co-stimulation of monocytes with P. gingivalis antagonized the ability of other bacterial species to induce IL-1alpha production. This effect was at its greatest with C. rectus (resulting in a 70% reduction). Gingipain mutant strains and chemical inhibition of protease activity did not reduce antagonistic activity. However, 100 ng/ml of P. gingivalis LPS can reproduce the antagonistic activity of P. gingivalis culture supernatants. Periodontitis-associated bacterial species stimulate IL-1alpha production by monocytes. P. gingivalis can antagonize this effect, and its LPS appears to be the crucial component. This study highlights the importance of mixed infections in the pathogenesis of periodontal disease because reduction of pro-inflammatory cytokine levels may impair the ability of the host to tackle infection.

Relationship between IL‐1A polymorphisms and gingival overgrowth in renal transplant recipients receiving Cyclosporin A

Levels of interleukin-1alpha (IL-1alpha) are elevated in periodontal inflammation. IL-1A gene polymorphisms are associated with inflammatory diseases. This study aimed to investigate IL-1A gene polymorphism in Cyclosporin A (CsA)-treated renal transplant patients and investigate the association between this polymorphism and gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) levels of several cytokines. Fifty-one renal transplant patients on CsA treatment (25 with and 26 without gingival overgrowth) and 29 healthy controls were recruited for the study. Demographic, pharmacological and periodontal parameters were recorded and gingival overgrowth was assessed. Multiple regression analysis showed that genotype was significantly associated with gingival overgrowth (p=0.02). Carriage of the IL-1A (-889) T allele was strongly protective [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.046-0.77], although not significantly associated with IL-1alpha protein levels in GCF. IL-1alpha, IL-1beta and IL-8, but not IL-6, were detected in GCF of CsA-treated patients, but none of them was significantly associated with gingival overgrowth. This study is the first to associate a gene polymorphism as a risk factor for CsA-induced gingival overgrowth in renal transplant patients, demonstrating that IL-1A polymorphism might alter individual susceptibility to CsA. However, there was no association between GCF cytokine levels and the presence of gingival overgrowth or patient IL-1A genotype.

Association of an IL-1A 3′UTR polymorphism with end-stage renal disease and IL-1α expression

We evaluated polymorphisms in the interleukin-1 alpha 3'-untranslated region (IL-1A 3'[UTR]) for association with type 2 diabetes-associated (DM) and nondiabetic-associated (non-DM) end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in two ethnic groups. IL-1A 3'UTR polymorphisms were identified by alignment of overlapping human expressed sequence tags (ESTs). Sequence ambiguities were experimentally confirmed and variants genotyped to test for association with ESRD in 75 unrelated Caucasians with DM ESRD, 95 unrelated Caucasian controls and, in a parallel study, 92 unrelated African Americans with type 2 DM ESRD, 95 unrelated African Americans with non-DM ESRD, and 86 unrelated African American controls. IL-1A 3' UTR genotype and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated IL-1 alpha protein levels were measured in healthy Caucasians (N = 112) and African Americans (N = 101) to evaluate association between genotype and protein level. A polymorphism in the 3' UTR of the human IL-1A gene was associated with ESRD and IL-1 alpha protein expression. The polymorphism consists of two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and an insertion/deletion generating four different haplotypes: TN7TTCAA, AN7TTCAA, TN7TTCAG and an allele deleted for four internal bases, TN7(delTTCA)A. The 4 bp deletion allele, TN7(delTTCA)A, was significantly less common among Caucasian DM ESRD and African American non-DM ESRD patients (recessive model; P = 0.0364 and P = 0.0293, respectively). In vitro, this polymorphism is associated with the amount of IL-1 alpha protein synthesized in LPS-stimulated lymphocytes from healthy subjects (P = 0.0013, additive model), with the TN7(delTTCA)A haplotype associated with higher levels of stimulated IL-1 alpha. The association of the TN7(delTTCA)A haplotype with higher levels of IL-1 alpha expression and reduced risk for ESRD is consistent with involvement of cytokines in risk for developing nephropathy.

Serotonin-mediated Production of Interstitial Collagenase by Uterine Smooth Muscle Cells Requires Interleukin-1α, but not Interleukin-1β

The activation of the gene for interstitial collagenase in myometrial smooth muscle cells is absolutely dependent upon the presence of serotonin. Our previous studies investigating the mechanisms of this induction demonstrated that the mRNAs of both interleukin-1 (IL-1) isoforms, IL-1alpha and IL-1beta, are induced by serotonin and that the induction of IL-1 is required for the subsequent induction of collagenase. These data provided compelling evidence that serotonin-induced IL-1 acts via an autocrine loop in activating the collagenase gene. The experiments described here were designed to examine the potential role of each IL-1 isoform in collagenase production by using neutralizing antisera specific to each isoform of the cytokine. The antisera were examined for their ability to inhibit the serotonin-dependent production of the mRNA for collagenase and of the cytokines themselves. Neutralizing antiserum against IL-1alpha, but not against IL-1beta, inhibited the induction of the mRNA for collagenase and of the mRNAs for both IL-1alpha and IL-1beta. Western analysis indicated that detectable levels of IL-1alpha protein, but not that of IL-1beta, are produced at the time of serotonin-dependent collagenase induction. In contrast, significant levels of IL-1beta protein are detected only when bacterial lipopolysaccharide is added to the cells. Taken together, the results of our study indicate that IL-1alpha, but not IL-1beta, plays an obligatory role in multiple serotonin-mediated gene regulations in the myometrial smooth muscle cell. In addition, the data suggest that IL-1beta production has the potential for modifying myometrial function in pathological settings, particularly that of uterine infection.

Human alveolar macrophages produce predominantly the 35-kD pro-forms of interleukin-1 alpha and interleukin-1 beta when stimulated with lipopolysaccharide.

Alveolar macrophages (AM) play a key role in local immunoregulation. The objective of these studies was to compare the production of the pro- and mature forms of both interleukin-1 alpha (IL-1 alpha) and interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta) by AM from nine nonsmoking control subjects, six asymptomatic smokers, and nine patients with interstitial lung disease (ILD). IL-1 alpha and IL-1 beta steady-state mRNA levels in AM cultured over 20 h were determined using specific cDNA probes. IL-1 alpha, 35-kD pro-IL-1 beta, and 17-kD mature IL-1 beta protein levels in cell lysates and supernatants were determined by individual specific ELISAs. Before culture, the isolated AM contained no IL-1 alpha or IL-1 beta mRNA. AM from nonsmoking control subjects and asymptomatic smokers produced comparable levels of IL-1 alpha protein, 5.01 +/- 1.02 ng/ml and 4.54 +/- 1.07 ng/ml, respectively, only after stimulation with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and not with granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF). The majority of the IL-1 alpha was present in the cell lysates as 35-kD pro-IL-1 alpha, as determined by Western blot analysis. AM from patients with ILD produced higher levels of LPS-induced cell-associated IL-1 alpha protein (9.78 +/- 1.80 ng/ml, p = 0.031). LPS-induced IL-1 beta production by AM from nonsmoking control subjects (5.22 +/- 1.89 ng/ml) and asymptomatic smokers (4.39 +/- 0.66 ng/ml) was equivalent to total IL-1 alpha protein production.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

IL-1 activity is reduced in psoriatic skin. Decreased IL-1 alpha and increased nonfunctional IL-1 beta.

IL-1 may influence or be influenced by a number of abnormalities present in psoriasis; including keratinocyte proliferation, eicosanoid production, fibroblast activation, endothelial cell adhesiveness, T cell infiltration and activation, cyclic nucleotide metabolism, and transmembrane signal transduction mechanisms. We assessed IL-1 regulation in normal, uninvolved, and involved skin of psoriatic patients using immunofluorescence microscopy, a sensitive ELISA method to quantitate immunoreactive IL-1 beta and IL-1 alpha protein levels, the thymocyte proliferation costimulation assay, costimulation of the LBRM.33 IL-1-sensitive cell line, and Northern blotting of cellular RNA to quantitate IL-1 alpha and beta mRNA. IL-1 beta was easily detectable by immunofluorescence microscopy and found to be localized predominantly in epidermal keratinocytes, whereas IL-1 alpha was not detectable with this method. Immunoreactive IL-1 beta was found to be elevated in cytosolic extracts derived from involved psoriatic keratomes relative to keratomes of normal skin. The elevated IL-1 beta protein was accompanied by elevated levels of IL-1 beta mRNA in psoriatic skin relative to normal skin. In contrast, immunoreactive IL-1 alpha levels were markedly reduced in lesional psoriatic skin. In functional assays using both the thymocyte proliferation assay and the LBRM.33 cell line, IL-1 activity from psoriatic involved skin keratomes was markedly reduced relative to that of uninvolved psoriatic keratomes and normal skin. All activity of both normal and psoriatic skin was attributable to IL-1 alpha. The elevated IL-1 beta immunoreactive protein present in psoriatic skin was found to be functionally inactive in these assays. The inactivity of the IL-1 beta was not due to an artifact of the cytosolic method of preparation because IL-1 beta released by psoriatic skin into the media was also nonfunctional. This was in keeping with the demonstration that the IL-1 beta was nonfunctional despite existing as a processed molecule. Taken together, these data demonstrate uncoordinated regulation of IL-1 alpha and Il-1 beta in psoriasis. The profound and complex changes in this system suggest IL-1 dysregulation may be integrally involved in the inflammatory, biochemical, and proliferative processes involved in the pathophysiology of psoriasis.