Effects of the beta3-adrenoceptor (Adrb3) agonist SR58611A (amibegron) on serotonergic and noradrenergic transmission in the rodent: relevance to its antidepressant/anxiolytic-like profile.

SR58611A is a selective beta(3)-adrenoceptor (Adrb3) agonist which has demonstrated antidepressant and anxiolytic properties in rodents. The present study confirmed the detection of Adrb3 mRNA transcript in rodent brain sub-regions and evaluated the effect of SR58611A on serotonergic and noradrenergic transmission in rats and mice in an attempt to elucidate the mechanism(s) underlying these properties. SR58611A (3 and 10 mg/kg, p.o.) increased the synthesis of 5-HT and tryptophan (Trp) levels in several rodent brain areas (cortex, hippocampus, hypothalamus, striatum). Moreover, SR58611A (10 mg/kg, p.o.) increased the release of 5-HT assessed by in vivo microdialysis in rat prefrontal cortex. Systemic (3 mg/kg, i.v.) or chronic administration of SR58611A (10 mg/kg, p.o.), in contrast to fluoxetine (15 mg/kg, p.o.), did not modify the activity of serotonergic neurons in the rat dorsal raphe nucleus. The increase in 5-HT synthesis induced by SR58611A was not observed in Adrb3s knockout mice, suggesting a selective involvement of Adrb3s in this effect. SR58611A (3 and 10 mg/kg, p.o.) did not modify norepinephrine synthesis and metabolism but increased its release in rat brain. Repeated administration of SR58611A (10 mg/kg, p.o.) did not modify basal norepinephrine release in rat prefrontal cortex whereas it prevented its tail-pinch stress-induced enhancement similarly to reboxetine (15 mg/kg, p.o.). Finally SR58611A increased the firing rate of noradrenergic neurons in the rat locus coeruleus following systemic (3 mg/kg, i.v.) or local (0.01 and 1 microM) but not chronic (10 mg/kg, p.o.) administration. These results suggest that the anxiolytic- and antidepressant-like activities of SR58611A involve an increase of brain serotonergic and noradrenergic neurotransmissions, triggered by activation of Adrb3s.

The activation state of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase determines the efficiency of ATP competition for pyridinylimidazole inhibitor binding.

The serine/threonine kinase p38 is a ubiquitous, highly conserved, stress responsive, signal-transducing enzyme. It regulates the production of proinflammatory mediators and is the target of the cytokine synthesis inhibitory pyridinylimidazoles. We have expressed human p38 in Drosophila S2 cells and characterized preparations of mixed unphosphorylated/monophosphorylated (inactive) and homogeneously diphosphorylated (active) forms of the enzyme. We observed that only the active preparation of the enzyme has significant kinase activity when assayed using an ATF2-GST fusion protein as the substrate. We determined that the value of KM[ATP] in this reaction is 25 microM and that the pyridinylimidazole inhibitor of p38 kinase activity, SB203580, competes with ATP. We have found that a tritiated pyridinylimidazole, SB202190, has an equal affinity for both the active and inactive forms of the enzyme and that SB203580 competes with it equally well for binding to either form of the enzyme. However, ATP can compete with the tritiated inhibitor for binding to only the active form of the enzyme. Further, we demonstrate in vivo that at concentrations consistent with its IC50 as a cytokine inhibitor, SB203580 can inhibit stimulus-induced phosphorylation of p38 at the Thr-Gly-Tyr activation motif. Our observations suggest that pyridinylimidazoles may block the biological activity of p38 kinase by binding to the inactive form of p38 and reducing its rate of activation. Under these conditions, ATP would not effectively compete with the inhibitors in vivo.

Structure and function of interleukin-1 beta converting enzyme.

An overwhelming body of evidence has shown that IL-1 beta is a major mediator of inflammatory disease (Tocci and Schmidt, 1996). The discovery of ICE, a unique processing enzyme involved in the production of active IL-1 beta, has provided a new approach to specifically block the production of this potent cytokine. Consequently, the discovery and development of inhibitors against the enzyme could hold great promise therapeutically. Potent inhibitors of the enzyme would be useful in the treatment of a number of important inflammatory diseases and potentially in the management of leukemia (Arend, 1993b; Estrov and Talpaz, 1996). A number of key questions must be answered before the therapeutic potential of such inhibitors can be realized. The development of a pharmaceutically acceptable cysteine proteinase inhibitor will almost certainly involve new chemical strategies gauged at safely inactivating the enzyme. For such inhibitors, it will be necessary to achieve selectivity for ICE from among the growing number of ICE family members while retaining potency. It will also be important to establish the level of inhibition of IL-1 beta required to achieve therapeutic efficacy. The studies comparing IL-1 beta- and ICE-deficient mice suggest that complete abrogation of IL-1 beta is required to achieve efficacy in models of inflammation. It is not known if this is the case in humans. Understanding the source of the residual IL-1 beta produced in ICE-deficient mice will be important in order to ascertain if a similar mechanism could generate active IL-1 beta in patients receiving if a ICE inhibitor. As for ICE itself, a number of formidable questions remain regarding its regulation and mechanism of activation. Answering these questions experimentally will present a major challenge due to the extremely low levels of enzyme present in cells. Studies on other family members may provide easier access to some of these questions and provide clues that can be applied to ICE. The components of the pathway involved in IL-1 trafficking and secretion are unknown, as are the mechanisms of ICE activation and regulation. Clearly other cellular proteins that have yet to be discovered will be involved in each of these processes, opening up new avenues of research in this field.

IL-1 beta convertase (ICE) does not play a requisite role in apoptosis induced in T lymphoblasts by Fas-dependent or Fas-independent CTL effector mechanisms.

Both IL-1beta convertase (ICE) and other members of the ICE-like family of proteases have been reported to play a role in Fas-mediated apoptosis. Con A-stimulated T lymphoblasts generated from splenocytes isolated from ICE-deficient H-2b mice were found to be more susceptible than wild-type lymphoblasts to DNA fragmentation induced by H-2b-specific CTL derived from normal or Fas ligand-deficient gld/gld mice. Trinitrophenyl (TNP)-modified, H-2b target cell-specific CTL were generated from perforin-deficient mice and were found to induce DNA fragmentation only in target cells expressing functional Fas receptors. Similar rates of DNA fragmentation were induced in TNP-modified ICE -/- and ICE +/+ T lymphoblast targets by perforin -/- TNP-modified, H-2b target cell-specific CTL. In addition, anti-Fas Abs induced apoptosis in thymocytes, Con A-stimulated spleen T cells, LPS-stimulated spleen B cells, and thymocytes from ICE -/- mice. However, DNA fragmentation induced by either allospecific FasL-defective CTL, or by perforin-deficient, TNP-modified, H-2b target cell-specific CTL was prevented in ICE -/- target cells loaded by electroporation with Ac-DEVD-CHO, an inhibitor of CPP32 and related ICE family proteases. These findings indicate that ICE does not play a requisite role in Fas-dependent or Fas-independent mechanisms of apoptosis induced in peripheral T lymphoblasts by CTL. However, both major pathways of CTL-induced apoptosis appear to be dependent on the enzymatic activity of other ICE family proteases.

Expression and immunoaffinity purification of human inducible nitric-oxide synthase. Inhibition studies with 2-amino-5,6-dihydro-4H-1,3-thiazine.

Recombinant human inducible nitric-oxide synthase (rH-iNOS) was expressed in the baculovirus system and purified by a novel immunoaffinity column. rH-iNOS and its native counterpart from cytokine-stimulated primary hepatocytes exhibited similar molecular mass of 130 kDa on SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, recognition by antipeptide antibodies, specific activities, and IC50 values for inhibitors. The active dimeric form exhibited a specific activity range of 114-260 nmol/min/mg at 37 degrees C and contained 1.15 +/- 0.04 mol of calmodulin/monomer. The enzyme exhibited a Soret lambdamax at 396 nm with a shoulder at 460 nm and contained 0. 28-0.64 mol of heme/monomer. Dithionite reduction under CO yielded an absorbance maximum at 446 nm, indicating a P450-type heme. Imidazole induced a type II difference spectrum, reversible by L-Arg. 2-Amino-5,6-dihydro-4H-1,3-thiazine (ADT) was competitive versus L-Arg (Ki = 22.6 +/- 1.9 nM), reversed the type II difference spectrum induced by imidazole (Kd = 17.7 nM), and altered the CO-ferrous absorbance of rH-iNOS. L-Arg did not perturb the CO-ferrous adduct directly, but it partially reversed the ADT-induced absorbance shift, indicating that both bind similarly to the protein but interact differently with the heme.

Regulation of IkB alpha phosphorylation by PKC- and Ca(2+)-dependent signal transduction pathways.

The Ca(2+)-dependent phosphatase calcineurin, a target of FK506 and CsA, synergizes with PKC-induced activation of nuclear factor (NF)-kappa B in T cell lines. We have investigated whether this synergy is present in other cell types and the mechanism(s) by which these two pathways lead to NF-kappa B activation. While this synergy is present in other cell types, in the monocytic cell line U937 calcineurin is also sufficient to activate NF-kappa B. Having previously shown that Ca(2+)- and PKC-dependent pathways synergize by accelerating the degradation of IkB alpha, we focused on the regulation of IkB alpha phosphorylation. While PKC-dependent pathways sequentially result in the phosphorylation and in an incomplete degradation of IkB alpha in T cell lines, co-activation of Ca(2+)-dependent pathways accelerates the rate of IkB alpha phosphorylation and results in its complete degradation. Activation of Ca(2+)-dependent pathways alone do not result in the phosphorylation and/or degradation of IkB alpha in Jurkat T or in U937 cells. Treatment of T cells with the selective PKC inhibitor GF109203X abrogates the PMA-induced IkB alpha phosphorylation/degradation irrespective of activation of Ca(2+)-dependent pathways, but not the phosphorylation and degradation of IkB alpha induced by TNF-alpha, a PKC-independent stimulus. Contrary to the interaction with PKC, Ca(2+)-dependent pathways synergize with TNF-alpha not at the level of IkB alpha phosphorylation, but at the level of its degradation. These results indicate that Ca(2+)-dependent pathways, including the phosphatase calcineurin, participate in the regulation of NF-kappa B in a cell specific fashion and synergize with PKC-dependent and -independent pathways at the level of IkB alpha phosphorylation and degradation.

Human IL-1 beta processing and secretion in recombinant baculovirus-infected Sf9 cells is blocked by the cowpox virus serpin crmA.

Biologically active, mature IL-1 beta (mIL-1 beta) is released from activated monocytes after proteolytic processing from an inactive precursor (pIL-1 beta). IL-1 beta converting enzyme (ICE), the first member of a newly discovered family of cysteine proteinases, is required for this processing event. The cleaved cytokine is released from monocytes by an unknown mechanism which does not employ a standard hydrophobic signal sequence. As in mammalian fibroblasts, insect Sf9 cells do not normally process or secrete human IL-1 beta. The expression of active ICE enables Sf9 cells to process 31-kDa pIL-1 beta correctly at Asp27 and Asp116, and to export 17.5-kDa mIL-1 beta. The recombinant heterodimeric human enzyme purified from Sf9 cells possesses a sp. act. of 2.9 +/- 0.5 x 10(6) U/mg and is indistinguishable from native ICE with regard to its subunit composition and catalytic properties. In this system, co-expression of the cowpox virus crmA gene, an extremely potent serpin inhibitor of ICE (Ki < 7 pM), inhibits ICE activation completely and blocks pIL-1 beta processing and mIL-1 beta secretion by approximately 95%. The results indicate that ICE, in addition to its processing function, facilitates the transport of IL-1 beta across the plasma membrane.

Calcineurin acts in synergy with PMA to inactivate I kappa B/MAD3, an inhibitor of NF-kappa B.

The interleukin-2 (IL-2) promoter consists of several independent T cell receptor (TcR) responsive elements. The induction of promoters dependent on these elements is inhibitable by the immunosuppressants cyclosporin A (CsA) and tacrolimus (FK-506). Calcineurin, a Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein phosphatase, is the FK-506- and CsA-sensitive enzyme required for TcR mediated activation of the IL-2 promoter. We report that a constitutively active form of calcineurin partially substitutes for the Ca2+ co-stimulus required to activate the IL-2 promoter elements IL-2A (which binds the factors OAP and Oct-1) and IL-2E (which binds NF-AT), and completely substitutes for the Ca2+ co-stimulus required to stimulate an NF-kappa B-dependent element. Calcineurin stimulates the NF-kappa B element by enhancing inactivation of I kappa B/MAD3, an inhibitor of NF-kappa B, thereby increasing the amount of nuclear NF-kappa B DNA binding activity. These data provide the first demonstration in vivo that activation of a protein phosphatase can inactivate I kappa B, and suggest one possible explanation for mechanism-based toxicities associated with FK-506 and CsA by demonstrating that these drugs can inhibit the calcineurin-dependent activation of a virtually ubiquitous transcription factor.

Recent advances in the mechanism of action of cyclosporine and FK506.

The immunosuppressants cyclosporine and FK506 (tacrolimus) are extremely potent inhibitors of T-lymphocyte activation. Recent studies have shown that these agents are actually prodrugs that become active only when bound to specific members of the cyclophilin or FK506 binding protein receptor gene families. The cyclosporine-cyclophilin or FK506-FK506 binding protein receptor complexes interact with a key component of the T-cell antigen receptor signal transduction pathway, the calcium-calmodulin-dependent phosphoprotein phosphatase calcineurin. The drug-receptor complexes inhibit the phosphatase activity of calcineurin and thereby prevent transcriptional activation of the interleukin-2 gene.

FK-506- and CsA-sensitive activation of the interleukin-2 promoter by calcineurin.

Antigen recognition by the T-cell receptor (TCR) initiates events including lymphokine gene transcription, particularly interleukin-2, that lead to T-cell activation. The immunosuppressive drugs, cyclosporin A (CsA) and FK-506, prevent T-cell proliferation by inhibiting a Ca(2+)-dependent event required for induction of interleukin-2 transcription. Complexes of FK-506 or CsA and their respective intracellular binding proteins inhibit the calmodulin-dependent protein phosphatase, calcineurin, in vitro. The pharmacological relevance of this observation to immunosuppression or drug toxicity is undetermined. Calcineurin, although present in lymphocytes, has not been implicated in TCR-mediated activation of lymphokine genes or in transcriptional regulation in general. Here we report that transfection of a calcineurin catalytic subunit increases the 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) of the immunosuppressants FK-506 and CsA, and that a mutant subunit acts in synergy with phorbol ester alone to activate the interleukin-2 promoter in a drug-sensitive manner. These results implicate calcineurin as a component of the TCR signal transduction pathway by demonstrating its role in the drug-sensitive activation of the interleukin-2 promoter.

The immunosuppressant FK-506 specifically inhibits mitogen-induced activation of the interleukin-2 promoter and the isolated enhancer elements NFIL-2A and NF-AT1.

The macrolide FK-506, like the cyclic undecapeptide cyclosporin A (CsA), is a potent immunosuppressant that interferes with the transcriptional activation of several early-phase genes in T lymphocytes, including that for interleukin-2 (IL-2). We compared the effects of FK-506 and CsA on transcription from the 5' upstream activating sequences (UAS) of the human IL-2 gene and several cellular and viral UAS to define cis-acting sites which may be responsive to FK-506. The UAS surveyed included the human IL-2 receptor alpha-chain, human metallothionein II, simian virus 40 early, human cytomegalovirus immediate-early, adenovirus major late, and Rous sarcoma virus long terminal repeat UAS. In addition, we studied multimers of several defined promoter elements (NFIL-2A, NF-kappa B, or NF-AT1) which are found in the UAS of the human IL-2 gene and which have been reported to be responsive to CsA when linked to a minimal promoter element (TATA box and transcription start site). Each promoter-regulatory region was fused to the bacterial chloramphenicol acetyltransferase gene and used to transiently transfect Jurkat cells. Quantitative chloramphenicol acetyltransferase assay determinations indicated that the transcriptional activity of each UAS induced upon T-cell activation was (i) completely sensitive, (ii) partially sensitive, or (iii) resistant to inhibition by CsA and FK-506. The induced transcription driven by the IL-2 promoter elements NF-AT1 and NFIL-2A could be blocked completely by FK-506 or CsA. Gel mobility shift assays indicated that the binding activities of the factors specifically interacting with these sequences were detected in activated cells regardless of whether the cells were treated with FK-506 or CsA. The results suggest that FK-506 or CsA inhibits a transacting mechanism(s) without disrupting the binding activities of these transcription factors. The degree to which each UAS was resistant to FK-506 was consistent with the level of transcription induced by phorbol myristate acetate, while UAS which were sensitive to inhibition by FK-506 were dependent on the presence of both phorbol myristate acetate and ionomycin.

Probing the role of interleukin-1 beta convertase in interleukin-1 beta secretion.

Interleukin-1 beta must be processed from its precursor form of 31.5 kDa to its mature form of 17 kDa in order to elaborate its wide array of bioactivities. The recent identification of a monocyte-specific endoprotease, termed interleukin-1 beta-converting enzyme (ICE), capable of generating authentic, bioactive 17 kDa IL-1 beta suggests that this protease may serve a specific role in the processing and subsequent secretion of IL-1 beta. To test this hypothesis, we describe initial attempts to establish a monocytic cell-based system to test if mutant preIL-1 beta molecules which are poor substrates for ICE in vitro will be processed and secreted by monocytic cells.

Unexpected up-regulation of gene expression by cyclosporin A and FK-506 in a T-cell lymphoma: both immunosuppressants augment Ly-6E antigen induction by interferon-gamma in the presence of ionomycin.

Cyclosporin A (CsA) and FK-506 inhibit lymphokine gene activation in T-cells. In the present study, we investigated the effects of these immunosuppressants on the regulation of a non-lymphokine molecule, the Ly-6E surface antigen, in the YAC-1 T-cell lymphoma. These cells do not normally express Ly-6E mRNA or Ly-6E surface molecules but are induced to do so upon treatment with IFN-gamma. At submicromolar concentrations, CsA or FK-506 did not alter this induction. However, at higher concentrations (1-12 microM), they both increased the induction of Ly-6E mRNA expression. Cyclosporin A or FK-506 also markedly affected Ly-6E induction when the cultures were co-treated with the calcium ionophore, ionomycin. In the absence of CsA or FK-506, ionomycin suppressed Ly-6E induction by IFN-gamma. Both immunosuppressants reversed this inhibitory effect and increased Ly-6E mRNA and Ly-6E surface expression to levels that were 2- to 3-fold higher than in cells induced with IFN-gamma alone. In this system, the two immunosuppressants were active at pharmacologically relevant concentrations, similar to those inhibiting normal T-cell activation, with FK-506 being 30- to 50-fold more potent than CsA. The ability of CsA analogs to enhance Ly-6E induction in the presence of ionomycin also correlated with their immunosuppressive activity. Therefore, through mechanisms apparently related to those involved in their immunosuppressive action, both CsA and FK-506 convert the negative effect of ionomycin on IFN-gamma-mediated Ly-6E induction into an overall positive effect. The YAC-1 cell model, described here, provides a unique example of upregulation of gene expression by these two immunosuppressants.

Analysis of IL-1 and TNF-alpha gene expression in human rheumatoid synoviocytes and normal monocytes by in situ hybridization.

Human IL-1 alpha, IL-1 beta, and TNF-alpha mRNA expression was examined in peripheral blood monocytes (PBM) from normal individuals and in primary synoviocytes isolated from patients with rheumatoid arthritis by Northern blot and in situ hybridization. Cells cultured in the presence or absence of LPS were analyzed using in vitro synthesized 35S-labeled sense or antisense RNA probes to determine the relative abundance and the cell type expressing each of the mRNA for these potent inflammatory mediators. The results indicated that 72% of the LPS-stimulated PBM expressed detectable levels of IL-1 alpha mRNA, 89% IL-1 beta mRNA, and 10% TNF-alpha transcripts. Thus, the majority of activated PBM produced both IL-1 alpha and IL-1 beta. Experiments combining immunofluorescence for IL-1 beta protein with in situ hybridization for TNF-alpha mRNA demonstrated that monocytes expressing TNF-alpha mRNA also produced IL-1 beta. Primary synoviocytes from four patients with RA were also examined for the mRNA expression of each cytokine. Northern blot analyses of total RNA isolated from 0 to 72 h after LPS- or mock-stimulation showed that IL-1 beta mRNA was the most abundantly expressed, followed by TNF-alpha. In situ hybridization revealed that IL-1 beta and TNF-alpha transcripts were detected exclusively in synovial tissue macrophages. IL-1 alpha mRNA was not detected in these cultures by either method.

Discoordinate expression of stromelysin, collagenase, and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases-1 in rheumatoid human synovial fibroblasts. Synergistic effects of interleukin-1 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha on stromelysin expression.

Primary and passaged human synovial fibroblasts isolated from rheumatoid pannus were treated with recombinant interleukin-1 (IL-1) alpha or beta, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF), or phorbol myristate acetate (PMA) to determine the effects of these stimuli on the relative expression of stromelysin, collagenase, and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases (TIMP). The steady-state mRNA levels for these genes and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase were determined on Northern blots. Immunoblot analyses of the conditioned media using monoclonal antibodies generated against recombinant human stromelysin, collagenase, or TIMP showed that protein levels reflected the corresponding steady-state mRNA levels. The results revealed that 1) stromelysin and collagenase were not always coordinately expressed; 2) IL-1 was more potent than TNF or PMA in the induction of stromelysin expression; 3) neither IL-1 nor TNF significantly affected TIMP expression; 4) PMA induced both metalloproteinase and TIMP expression; and 5) the combination of IL-1 plus TNF had a synergistic effect on stromelysin expression. Dose response and time course experiments demonstrated that the synergistic effect of IL-1 plus TNF occurred at saturating concentrations of each cytokine and lasted for 7 days. In summary, the ability of IL-1 and TNF to preferentially induce stromelysin and collagenase expression, versus TIMP, may define a pivotal role for these cytokines in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis.

Protoplast fusion in microtiter plates for expression cloning in mammalian cells: demonstration of feasibility using membrane-bound alkaline phosphatase as a reporter enzyme.

Protoplast fusion is a method for directly transferring cloned DNA from bacteria to mammalian cells at high efficiency. Here, we have used membrane-bound alkaline phosphatase as a reporter enzyme in a miniprotoplast fusion assay. This work demonstrates the principle that large numbers of protoplast fusions can be done simultaneously and successfully, to assay for an activity encoded by an expression vector. The technique described here circumvents key hurdles to expression cloning. This method does not require a highly sensitive assay or a way of separating a rare expressing cell from the mixture of transfected cells containing other transfected genes. With a strong promoter, the protein encoded by the undiluted transfected cDNA should be produced at at least as high a level as it is endogenously produced in the cell from which its activity was first detected. Reference clones are stored, avoiding the need to separate out the cells that are successfully transfected; this also avoids the need to repurify the DNA from the transfected cell. Because of the use of microtiter plates, it is likely that such a method could be partially automated for many types of assays.

The immunosuppressant FK506 selectively inhibits expression of early T cell activation genes.

FK506, a neutral macrolide with immunosuppressive properties, was shown to selectively and rapidly inhibit the accumulation of IL-2 mRNA, as well as the mRNAs of other early (E) phase T cell activation genes such as IL-3, IL-4, GM-CSF, TNF alpha, IFN-gamma, and c-myc in activated human peripheral blood T cells. The activity of FK506, when compared to Cyclosporin A, another immunosuppressant, was 10 to 100x more potent in its ability to inhibit IL-2 mRNA synthesis. FK506 inhibited IL-2 mRNA accumulation in Con A, Con A plus PMA, Ionomycin plus PMA, anti-CD3, and anti-CD3 plus PMA activated T cells. Transcripts from other T cell gene classes such as the immediate early (IE) phase gene, c-fos, the late phase (L) genes, transferrin receptor, IL-2R alpha-chain, and TNF-beta, and the constitutive class genes glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase and class I MHC HLA-B7 were not affected by FK506. The macrolide Rapamycin, which is structurally related to FK506, had no inhibitory effect on IE, E, L, or constitutive class mRNAs, but it appeared to increase the levels of the E-phase transcripts that were inhibited in FK506 treated T cells. The effect of FK506 on inducible genes in non-T and non-lymphoid human cells was studied in LPS-induced monocytes and PMA or IL-1 activated synovial fibroblasts. FK506 did not affect expression of the mRNAs for IL-1 alpha or IL-1 beta in human monocytes, or of stromelysin, collagenase, or TIMP in synovial fibroblasts. Nuclear run-off transcription studies indicate that FK506 inhibits transcription of the IL-2 gene. These studies suggest that Cyclosporin A and FK506 may effect a common early event in the T cell activation pathway.

Identification of a monocyte specific pre-interleukin 1 beta convertase activity.

Interleukin 1 (IL-1) is a lymphokine secreted by monocytes in response to a variety of inflammatory stimuli. IL-1 beta, the predominant form of IL-1 produced by human monocytes, is synthesized as an inactive precursor of 31 kDa and is cleaved at Asp116-Ala117 to yield a 17.5-kDa extracellular form. The exact cellular site of cleavage and mechanism of secretion is at present unknown. We have prepared cell-free postnuclear extracts from freshly isolated human monocytes as well as THP.1 cells, a human monocyte-like cell line, and various blood lymphocytes and fibroblast cell lines. Using pre-IL-1 beta synthesized by in vitro transcription and translation, we have shown that only extracts derived from human monocytes and THP.1 cells were capable of cleaving precursor IL-1 beta to authentic mature IL-1 beta. Subcellular fractionation of the extracts suggested that the processing activity is found in the cytosol of monocytes or monocyte-like cell lines. The cleavage product of this protease is identical to authentic IL-1 beta as shown by mobility on SDS/PAGE and amino acid sequence analysis of the [3H]leucine-labeled product. The cleavage product is also capable of binding to the IL-1 receptor found on fibroblast membranes. Finally, mutation of Asp116----Ala116 rendered the IL-1 beta precursor resistant to cleavage by the processing activity. We conclude that a protease activity found only in monocytes will specifically process IL-1 beta to an active form.