Eva Galka | PubMed Health

PubMed2004

Stat6(null phenotype) human lymphocytes exhibit increased apoptosis.

BACKGROUND: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is associated with altered apoptosis and increased levels of Th1 cytokines (IL-12, TNF-alpha, and IFN-gamma). These proinflammatory events may result from dysfunctional IL-4/Stat6 signal transduction that normally promotes Th2 lymphocyte differentiation and consequential down-regulation of the immune response. The goal of the present study was to measure apoptosis, levels of relevant cytokines, and the effects of cytokine manipulation on apoptosis in cell lines derived from IBD patients that express dysfunctional Stat6 (Stat6(null phenotype)) and wild-type Stat6 (Stat6(high phenotype)). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Lymphocytes with Stat6(null phenotype) (n = 5) or wild-type (n = 5) status were cultured with and without the addition of exogenous cytokines or neutralizing antibodies (IL-12, TNF-alpha, and IFN-gamma). Apoptosis was determined by flow cytometry using Annexin V-PE dual staining. Cytokine levels were determined by ELISA. RESULTS: Stat6(null phenotype) cells exhibited increased apoptosis compared with wild-type cell lines (13.3% +/- 2.9 versus 4.5% +/- 0.4, P < 0.0001). Four of five Stat6(null phenotype) cell lines expressed 5- to 10-fold elevations in IL-12 and IFN-gamma. Addition of exogenous cytokines or neutralizing antibodies had no effect on apoptosis. CONCLUSIONS: Apoptotic cell death is elevated in Stat6(null phenotype) cell lines suggesting a role for Stat6 in apoptosis regulation, a previously unrecognized observation. Increased levels of IL-12 and IFN-gamma were found in the Stat6(null phenotype) cell lines; however, the apoptosis observed is not the consequence of increased IL-12, IFN-gamma, or TNF-alpha. Stat6(null phenotype) cell lines exhibit variably increased levels of these Th1 cytokines, consistent with their human source, and may be a valid source for investigations into IBD pathophysiology.

Antibodies↗

PubMed2004

Human B lymphoblast cell lines defective of Stat6 signaling produce high levels of proinflammatory cytokines IL-12, TNFalpha and IFNgamma.

Based on Stat6 gene knockout animal models, the Stat6 signaling pathway has been suggested to play a role in carcinogenesis and Th1/Th2 cytokine balance. Using a semiquantitative EMSA assay and EBV-transformed human B lymphoblast cell lines, we have previously identified three Stat6 activational phenotypes, termed as Stat6high, Stat6low, and Stat6null. A genetic mechanism has been proposed which determines the IL-4-induced activation of the human Stat6 signaling. With respect to the contribution of variant phenotypes to human disease, we further hypothesize that the Stat6null phenotype may result from a partial defect in Stat6 signaling which resembles Stat6 knockout animals in several functional aspects. The characterization of the human Stat6null phenotype stably displayed by the EBV-B cell lines is easily assailable and possesses important implications with respect to Th1/Th2 cytokine imbalance in diseases such as cancer development/metastasis and inflammatory diseases. In this study, we have extended our investigation to the downstream regulatory consequences associated with these Stat6 phenotypes. Production of three important proinflammatory cytokines, IL-12, TNFalpha and IFNgamma was examined in spontaneous EBV-B cell culture using ELISA methodology. Individual cell lines defined as Stat6null produced significantly higher levels of IL-12, TNFalpha and IFNgamma on day 4 in spontaneous culture in comparison with cell lines characterized as Stat6high and Stat6low. These observations of the human Stat6null phenotype, together with those accruing from Stat6 knockout mouse model studies, suggest that the Stat6 signaling pathway may play a role in maintaining the Th1/Th2 cytokine balance by directly and indirectly down-regulating the production of proinflammatory cytokines, a regulatory process which appears to go awry in inflammatory diseases. Moreover, observations from signal transduction studies in our human B lymphocyte model may be compatible with those in the chosen mouse B lymphocyte for establishing signaling networks by the Alliance for Cellular Signaling (AfCS).

Animals↗