p100, a precursor of NF-κB2, inhibits c-Rel and reduces the expression of IL-23 in dendritic cells.

Nuclear factor κB regulates various genes involved in the immune response, inflammation, cell survival, and development. NF-κB activation is controlled by proteins possessing ankyrin repeats, such as IκBs. A precursor of the NF-κB2 (p52) subunit, p100, contains ankyrin repeats in its C-terminal portion and has been found to act as a cytoplasmic inhibitor of RelA in the canonical pathway of NF-κB activation. Here, we demonstrate that p100 also suppresses c-Rel function in dendritic cells. Expression of the p19 and p40 subunits of IL-23, a c-Rel-dependent cytokine, was enhanced in p100-deficient cells, although expression of a RelA-dependent cytokine, TNF-α, was reduced. Nuclear translocation of c-Rel was enhanced in p100-deficient cells. p100, and not the processed p52 form, associated with c-Rel in the steady state and dissociated immediately after lipopolysaccharide stimulation in wild-type dendritic cells. Four hours after the stimulation, p100 was newly synthesized and associated with c-Rel again. In cells expressing both c-Rel and RelA, c-Rel is preferentially suppressed by p100.

The NF-kappaB RelA subunit confers resistance to Leishmania major by inducing nitric oxide synthase 2 and Fas expression but not Th1 differentiation.

Although the NF-kappaB transcription factors participate in both innate and adaptive immune responses, little is known about the role of the RelA subunit because mice lacking the rela gene die at embryonic day 14. To elucidate the role of RelA in Leishmania major infection, we prepared fetal liver chimeric mice by adoptively transferring embryonic day 13.5 rela(-/-) or rela(+/+) fetal liver into lethally irradiated host mice. About 90% of the peripheral lymphocytes of the chimeric mice had differentiated from rela fetal liver cells. The rela(-/-) fetal liver chimeric mice were highly sensitive to infection with L. major and died within 11 wk after infection. Despite the severity of the disease, parasite Ag-reactive Th1 cells developed normally. The rela(-/-) macrophages were less able to control intracellular parasite replication than rela(+/+) macrophages, despite showing equally efficient phagocytosis. Both in vitro NO production of macrophages and in vivo expression of NO synthase 2 in the lesions and draining lymph nodes was reduced in rela(-/-) fetal liver chimeric mice. Moreover, up-regulation of Fas in rela(-/-) macrophages was impaired both after in vitro stimulation with LPS and after in vivo infection with L. major, implying a defect in their ability to eliminate infected cells. Thus, RelA is necessary for macrophages to be resistant to intracellular parasite infection.

A proximal kappaB site in the IL-23 p19 promoter is responsible for RelA- and c-Rel-dependent transcription.

IL-23 is a heterodimeric cytokine composed of a unique p19 subunit and a common p40 subunit is shared with IL-12. IL-23 promotes the inflammatory response by inducing the expansion of CD4(+) cells producing IL-17. The regulation of p19 gene expression has been less studied than that of p40 subunit expression, which in macrophages is well known to be dependent on NF-kappaB. To clarify the role of NF-kappaB in expression of the p19 gene, we analyzed mRNA levels in NF-kappaB-deficient macrophages. As reported to occur in dendritic cells, p19 expression was dramatically reduced in c-rel-deficient macrophages. Moreover, we found that p19 expression was halved in rela-deficient macrophages, but it was enhanced in p52-deficient macrophages. The p19 promoter contains three putative kappaB sites, located at nt -642 to -632 (kappaB-642), nt -513 to -503 (kappaB-513), and nt -105 to -96 (kappaB-105), between the transcription start site and -937 bp upstream in the p19 promoter region. Although EMSA analysis indicated that both kappaB-105 and kappaB-642, but not kappaB-513, bound to NF-kappaB in vitro, luciferase-based reporter assays showed that the most proximal kappaB site, kappaB-105, was uniquely indispensable to the induction of p19 transcription. Chromatin immunoprecipitation demonstrated in vivo association of RelA, c-Rel, and p50 with kappaB-105 of the p19 promoter. These results provide the evidence that the association of RelA and c-Rel with the proximal kappaB site in the p19 promoter is required to induce of p19 expression.

Transient strong reduction of PTEN expression by specific RNAi induces loss of adhesion of the cells.

The tumor suppressor gene pten encodes a lipid phosphatase that dephosphorylates D3 of phosphatidylinositol(3,4,5)trisphosphate, producing phosphatidylinositol(4,5)bisphosphate. Although PTEN has been implicated in cell adhesion and migration, the underlying molecular mechanism is unknown. To investigate the role of PTEN in cell adhesion, we designed three different siRNAs (siRNA PTEN-a, siRNA PTEN-b, and siRNA PTEN-c) and transfected into 293T cells. Two days later, only the cells transfected with siRNA PTEN-b became round and detached from the culture dishes, whereas cells transfected with a control siRNA against GFP or the two other siRNAs against PTEN did not. Evaluation of the RNAi effect revealed that siRNA PTEN-b inhibited >95% of PTEN expression, the most effective among the three siRNAs. To check for non-specific effects such as interferon response and inhibition of off-target genes, we then used quantitative PCR analysis and DNA microarray analysis. None was detected, indicating that the RNAi system was highly specific. Immunofluorescence studies using PTEN-knockdown HeLa cells revealed that the loss of adhesion was accompanied by a reduction in the number of focal adhesion plaques and disorganization of the actin cytoskeleton. Transient and near-complete loss of PTEN expression induces loss of adhesion of the cells.