To determine the feasibility of a nonradioactive electrophoresis mobility shift assay for detecting nuclear transcription factor, double-stranded oligonucleotides encoding the consensus target sequence of NF-kappa B were labelled with DIG by terminal transferase. After nuclear protein stimulated with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) or PMA and pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (PDTC) electrophoresed on 8% nondenaturing poliacrylamide gel together with oligeonucleotide probe, they were electro-blotted nylon membrane positively charged. Anti-DIG-AP antibody catalyzed chemiluminescent substrate CSPD to image on X-film. The results showed that nuclear proteins binded specifically to the NF-kappa B consensus sequence in the EMSA by chemiluminescent technique method and the activity of NF-kappa B in PMA group was more than that in PMA + PDTC group. It is suggested that detection of NF-kappa B by EMSA with chemiluminescent technique is feasible and simple, which can be performed in ordinary laboratories.
Chemiluminescent Measurements ; DNA-Binding Proteins/*analysis ; DNA-Binding Proteins/genetics ; Electrophoretic Mobility Shift Assay ; NF-kappa B/*analysis ; NF-kappa B/genetics ; NF-kappa B/metabolism ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; *Trans-Activation (Genetics) ; Trans-Activators/analysis ; Trans-Activators/genetics ; *Transcription, Genetic

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by persistent joint swelling and progressive destruction of cartilage and bone. Current RA treatments are largely empirical in origin and their precise mechanism of action is uncertain. Increasing evidence shows that chronic inflammatory diseases such as RA are caused by prolonged production of proinflammatory cytokines including tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and interleukin 1 (IL-1). The nuclear factor kappaB (NF-kappaB) plays an essential role in transcriptional activation of TNF and IL-1. NF-kappaB is induced by many stimuli including TNF and IL-1, forming a positive regulatory cycle that may amplify and maintain RA disease process. NF-kappaB and enzymes involved in its activation can be a target for anti-inflammatory treatment. Aspirin and sodium salicylate inhibit activation of NF-KB by blocking IkappaB kinase, a key enzyme in NF-kappaB activation. Glucocorticoids suppress expression of inflammatory genes by binding glucocorticoid receptor with NF-kappaB, and increasing expression of inhibitory protein of NF-kappaB, IkappaBalpha. Sulfasalazine and gold compounds also inhibit NF-kappaB activation. Continuing advances in our understanding of action mechanism of antirheumatic agents will benefit the future development of RA regimens with greater efficacy and less toxicity.
Animal ; Antirheumatic Agents/therapeutic use* ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid/therapy* ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid/metabolism ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid/immunology ; Cytokines/immunology ; Cytokines/genetics ; Gene Expression Regulation ; Human ; Macrophages/immunology ; NF-kappa B/metabolism* ; NF-kappa B/immunology ; NF-kappa B/biosynthesis ; Tumor Necrosis Factor/genetics

<b>BACKGROUNDb>Nuclear factor kappaB (NF-kappaB) overactivation, requiring phosphorylation and degradation of its inhibitor IkappaBalpha, is the basis for chronicity of airway inflammation in asthma. Based on our previous plasmid pShuttle-IkappaBalpha, carrying an IkappaBalpha gene from human placenta, we optimized a novel IkappaBalpha mutant (IkappaBalphaM) gene, constructed and characterized its replication-deficient recombinant adenovirus (AdIkappaBalphaM), and tested whether AdIkappaBalphaM-mediated overexpression of IkappaBalphaM could inhibit the NF-kappaB activation in endothelial cells.

<b>METHODSb>IkappaBalphaM gene (203 - 1003 bp) encoding 267 amino acids, acquired by site-directed deleting N-terminal phosphorylation sites of serine 32/36, was subcloned into the pShuttle and pGEM-T vectors for further polymerase chain reaction (PCR), restriction digestion, deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) sequencing and homology analyses. Subsequent to inserting the expression unit of pShuttle-IkappaBalphaM, containing cytomegalovirus (CMV) promoter, IkappaBalphaM complementary DNA (cDNA) and polyadenylic acid (PolyA) signals, into the type 5 adenovirus (Ad5) vector, the resultant AdIkappaBalphaM was packaged in human embryonic kidney (HEK) 293 cells by cotransfection with lipofectamine. Western blot analysis and electrophoretic mobility shift assay were utilized to detect the AdIkappaBalphaM-mediated overexpression of IkappaBalphaM in HEK293 cells and its suppressive effect on phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA)-induced NF-kappaB activation in human umbilical vein endothelial (ECV304) cells, respectively.

<b>RESULTSb>The relevant nucleotides and deduced amino acids of 801 bp IkappaBalphaM gene were consistent with those of IkappaBalpha gene (GenBank accession number: M69043). The titer of the prepared AdIkappaBalphaM was 4.0 x 10 (12) plaque-forming units (pfu)/L. Moreover, the IkappaBalphaM gene was overexpressed in HEK293 cells, and potently inhibited the PMA-induced NF-kappaB activation in ECV304 cells dose-dependently.

<b>CONCLUSIONSb>AdIkappaBalphaM is a novel vector for both efficient transfer and specific overexpression of IkappaBalphaM gene, as well as potent inhibition of NF-kappaB activity, providing a promising strategy for gene therapy of asthma.

Adenoviridae ; genetics ; Cell Line ; Endothelial Cells ; metabolism ; Genetic Therapy ; Humans ; I-kappa B Proteins ; genetics ; Mutation ; NF-KappaB Inhibitor alpha ; NF-kappa B ; antagonists & inhibitors ; Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate ; pharmacology

<b>OBJECTIVEb>To establish the activation of NF-kappaB in middle ear cholesteatoma, discuss the relationship of NF-kappaB and the gene expression of IL-6 and explore the pathogenesis of middle ear cholesteatoma.

<b>METHODSb>Ten cases of cholesteatoma and 6 cases of normal external meatal skin were obtained from middle ear surgery. The NF-kappaB DNA binding activity and the mRNA level of IL-6 in these two kinds of tissues were detected by electrophoretic motility shift assay (EMSA) and Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) respectively. The relationship of NF-kappaB DNA binding activity and the mRNA level of IL-6 were analyzed.

<b>RESULTSb>The NF-kappaB DNA binding activities of cholesteatoma [(15.9 +/- 8.2)%] were higher than those in normal skin [(1.36 +/- 0.94)%, t = 3.502, P < 0.05]. The expression of IL-6 mRNA was increased significantly in patients with cholesteatoma, as compared with that in the control specimens (t = 2.166, P < 0.05) and had a significant positive correlation with NF-kappaB DNA binding activity (r = 0.752, P < 0.05).

<b>CONCLUSIONSb>The IL-6 mRNA expression in cholesteatoma is closely related with the activity of NF-kappaB. It is tempting to speculate that NF-kappaB play a key role in the activation of cytokine in cholesteatoma.

Cholesteatoma, Middle Ear ; genetics ; metabolism ; Gene Expression Regulation ; Humans ; Interleukin-6 ; genetics ; metabolism ; NF-kappa B ; metabolism ; RNA, Messenger ; genetics

The present study explored the mechanism of Fagopyri Dibotryis Rhizoma(FDR) and its main active components in the treatment of acute lung injury(ALI) based on the network pharmacology and the in vitro experiments. The main active components of FDR were obtained from the TCMSP database and screened by oral bioavailability and drug-likeness. The related target proteins of FDR were retrieved from the PubChem database, and the target genes related to ALI were screened out from the GeneCards database. A protein-protein interaction(PPI) network of compound target proteins and ALI target genes was constructed using STRING 11.0. Ingenuity Pathway Analysis(IPA) platform was used to analyze the common pathways of the potential compound target proteins of FDR and ALI target genes, thereby predicting the key targets and potential signaling pathways of FDR for the treatment of ALI. Finally, the potential pathways and key targets were verified by the in vitro experiments of lipopolysaccharide-induced RAW264.7 cells intervened by epicatechin(EC), the active component of FDR. The results of network pharmacology showed that 15 potential active components such as EC, procyanidin B1, and luteolin presumedly functioned in the treatment of ALI through nuclear transcription factor-κB(NF-κB) signaling pathway, transforming growth factor-β(TGF-β) signaling pathway, and adenosine 5'-monophosphate(AMP)-activated protein kinase(AMPK) signaling pathway through key targets, such as RELA(P65). The results of in vitro experiments showed that 25 μmol·L~(-1) EC had no toxicity to cells and could inhibit the expression of the p65-phosphorylated protein in the NF-κB signaling pathway to down-regulate the expression of downstream inflammatory cytokines, including tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α), IL-1β and nitric oxide(NO), and up-regulate the expression of IL-10. These results suggested that the therapeutic efficacy of FDR on ALI was achieved by inhibiting the phosphorylation of p65 protein in the NF-κB signaling pathway and down-regulating the level of proinflammatory cytokines downstream of the signaling pathways.
Acute Lung Injury/genetics* ; Lipopolysaccharides ; NF-kappa B/metabolism* ; Rhizome ; Signal Transduction

Interleukin-33 (IL-33) is a new member of the IL-1 cytokine family which plays roles in the nucleus as a nuclear factor and is released by damaged or necrotic cells to act as a cytokine. It can be released via damaged or necrotic cells and functions as a cytokine. The released IL-33 activates the downstream NF-κB and MAPKs signaling pathways through the isomers of the specific receptor ST2 and the interleukin-1 receptor accessory protein (IL-1RAcP), resulting in danger signals and the activated multiple immune responses. IL-33 is abnormally expressed in various tumors and involves in tumorigenesis, development, and metastasis. Moreover, IL-33 can play both pro-tumor and anti-tumor roles in the same type of tumor.
Cytokines ; Humans ; Interleukin-33/genetics* ; MAP Kinase Signaling System ; NF-kappa B/metabolism* ; Neoplasms

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the enhancement of macrophage chemotaxis in patients with knee osteoarthritis (KOA) and its correlation with the disease severity. METHODS: Eighty patients with KOA admitted from July 2019 to June 2022 were enrolled as the observation group and divided into 29 cases of moderate group, 30 cases of severe group and 21 cases of extremely severe group. At the same time, 30 healthy subjects were included as the control group. The gene expressions of NF-κB, CXC chemokine receptor 7 (CXCR7) and CXC chemokine ligand 12 (CXCL12) in macrophages of each group were analyzed. Visual analogue scale(VAS) was used to evaluate the degree of joint pain. Joint function was evaluated by knee Joint Society Scoring system(KSS). Finally, data analysis was carried out. RESULTS: The expression levels of NF-κB, CXCR7 and CXCL12 in moderate group, severe group and extreme recombination group were higher than those in control group. The VAS, the expression of NF-κB, CXCR7 and CXCL12 in the severe group and the extreme recombination group were higher than those in the moderate group, whereas KSS was lower than that in the moderate group. The VAS, expression levels of NF-κB, CXCR7 and CXCL12 in the extremely severe group were higher than those in the severe group, and KSS was lower than that in the severe group (all P<0.01). The expression levels of NF-κB, CXCR7 and CXCL12 in macrophages were positively correlated with VAS score, but negatively correlated with KSS(all P<0.01). The expression levels of NF-κB, CXCR7 and CXCL12 in macrophages were positively correlated with the severity of disease. After excluding the influence of traditional factors (gender, age and disease duration), multiple linear regression analysis further showed that the expression levels of NF-κB, CXCR7 and CXCL12 were still positively correlated with the severity of disease(all P<0.01). CONCLUSION The chemotaxis of macrophages in patients with KOA increased with the aggravation of the disease, and was related to the degree of pain and function impairment.
Humans ; Osteoarthritis, Knee/genetics* ; Chemotaxis/genetics* ; NF-kappa B/metabolism* ; Macrophages/metabolism* ; Receptors, CXCR/metabolism* ; Patient Acuity

<b>OBJECTIVEb>To explore how NF-&kappa;B family members regulate maspin expression in prostate cancer cells.

<b>METHODSb>The expression of NF-&kappa;B subunits and maspin was detected by Western blot analysis in prostate cancer DU145, PC-3, and LNCaP cell lines. RNA interference was performed to analyze whether RelB- or RelA-deletion affectes cell death as well as the expression of NF-&kappa;B subunits and maspin. The impact of RelB-silencing in DU145 cells was investigated by flow cytometry. The regulation of RelB on maspin expression in the prostate cancer PC-3 cells was also examined via stable transfection of RelB expression plasmid.

<b>RESULTSb>RelA, p50, RelB, and p52 were constitutively expressed in androgen-independent prostate cancer DU145 and PC-3 cells, while RelB had the highest expression in DU145 cells. Low expression of maspin was detected in LNCaP and DU145 cells, but elevated expression in PC-3 cells. RelB-silencing in DU145 cells by siRNA interference upregulated the endogenous expression of maspin and induced cell apoptosis (13.3±4.2)%. Overexpression of RelB in PC-3 cells inhibited the endogenous expression of maspin. RelA-silecing had no significant influence on the endogenous expression of maspin.

<b>CONCLUSIONSb>The classical and alternative NF-&kappa;B activitions are sustained in androgen-independent prostate cancer cell lines. The expressions of RelB and maspin are inversely correlated in these cancer cells. The expression of RelB negatively regulates the endogenous expression of maspin, then interferes the cell survival. RelA is not involved in the regulation of maspin expression.

Apoptosis ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Gene Silencing ; Humans ; Male ; NF-kappa B ; genetics ; metabolism ; NF-kappa B p50 Subunit ; genetics ; metabolism ; NF-kappa B p52 Subunit ; genetics ; metabolism ; Prostatic Neoplasms ; genetics ; metabolism ; pathology ; RNA, Small Interfering ; genetics ; Serpins ; metabolism ; Transcription Factor RelA ; genetics ; metabolism ; Transcription Factor RelB ; genetics ; metabolism ; Transfection

This study examined the effects of Bangdeyun on the expressions of nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB), interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) and interleukin-10 (IL-10) in the endometrium of mice with embryo implantation dysfunction (EID) during the implantation time (namely on pregnancy day 5, 6, 7 and 8) and explored the local immune regulatory effects of Bangdeyun. The gestational mice were randomly divided into normal group, model group and Bangdeyun-treated group. EID models of mice were established by using indomethacin. The endometrial expression of NF-kappaB was detected by immunohistochemistry and Western blotting. IFN-gamma and IL-10 were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The results showed that in the normal group, NF-kappaB and IFN-gamma were weakly expressed and IL-10 was strongly expressed in the endometrium during the whole implantation period. In the model group, the expressions of NF-kappaB and IFN-gamma were increased on pregnancy day 5, 6 and 7, and IL-10 expression decreased during the whole implantation time when compared with those in the normal group (P<0.01 for all). In the Bangdeyun-treated group, little amount of NF-kappaB and IFN-gamma was expressed and IL-10 expression was strong, much the way they were expressed in the normal group (P>0.05). The expressions of NF-kappaB and IFN-gamma were much lower in the Bangdeyun-treated group than those in the model group on pregnancy day 5, 6 and 7 (P<0.01 for all), while the expression of IL-10 was much higher than in the model group during the whole implantation time (P<0.01). It was suggested Bangderun may favor a shift from Th1- to Th2-type immune response, therefore inhibiting the maternal immune rejection, inducing the immune tolerance and improving the fetal implantation.
Drugs, Chinese Herbal/*pharmacology ; Embryo Implantation, Delayed/*drug effects ; Embryo Implantation, Delayed/immunology ; Endometrium/*immunology ; Endometrium/metabolism ; Interferon-gamma/genetics ; Interferon-gamma/metabolism ; Interleukin-10/genetics ; Interleukin-10/metabolism ; NF-kappa B/genetics ; NF-kappa B/metabolism

OBJECTIVE: To study the expression and activation of p50 subunit of nuclear factor-kappa B(NF-kappaB) in mucosa of seasonal allergic rhinitis. METHOD: The expression of p50 subunit of NF-kappaB in the mucosa from 16 patients (6 patients with symptom, 10 patients without symptom)and 10 normal subjects were detected by immunohistochemistry. The activation of DNA-binding proteins which was labeled with 32P-radiolabeled oligonucleotide probe for NF-kappaB was detected with electrophoretic mobility shift assays(EMSA) in mucosa. RESULT: The expression of p50 subunit of NF-kappaB was observed in the nasal mucosa of SAR and normal samples. The expression of p50 subunit of NF-kappaB was positive in the cytoplasm and some nuclei of the mucosal epithelia, inflammatory cells, glandular epithelia, and vascular endothelia in nasal mucosa. The Rate of nucleus positive staining of p50 was (41.83 +/- 4.43)% and(37.19 +/- 3.93)% in SAR with symptom and SAR without symptom patients,respectively. There was no significant difference (P > 0.05). The Rate of nucleus positive staining of p50 in nasal mucosa of normal samples was (8.89 +/- 1.32)%. The difference of p50 subunit of NF-kappaB expression between SAR group and normal group was statistically significant (P < 0.01). The DNA-binding proteins activity of samples from patients with seasonal allergic rhinitis was stronger than that in normal subjects (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION p50 subunit of NF-kappaB was activated in healthy nasal mucosa to some extent. The expression and DNA-binding proteins activity of p50 subunit of NF-kappaB was enhanced in seasonal allergic rhinitis. It indicated that p50 subunit of NF-kappaB may be involved in nasal mucosa physiological function and may have an important role in maintaining the chronic inflammation in seasonal allergic rhinitis.
Case-Control Studies ; Humans ; NF-kappa B p50 Subunit ; genetics ; metabolism ; Nasal Mucosa ; metabolism ; Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal ; metabolism