Interleukin-1 alpha, interleukin-1 beta, and tumor necrosis factor gene expression in endotoxin-induced uveitis

Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 1994 Mar;35(3):1107-13.

Abstract

Purpose: To localize and determine the levels of interleukin-1 alpha (IL-1 alpha), interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta), and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) gene expression in the process of endotoxin-induced uveitis (EIU) in rats.

Method: EIU was induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) injection in male Lewis rats weighing 150 to 200 g. The levels of IL-1 alpha, IL-1 beta, and TNF gene expression in the iris-ciliary body (ICB) were quantified by a semiquantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method; in situ hybridization histochemistry was carried out to localize the gene transcripts.

Results: Little expression of IL-1 alpha, IL-1 beta, and TNF genes was observed in normal ICB. IL-1 alpha gene expression began to increase (about 10-fold greater than that of the control) as early as 1 hour after the LPS treatment, reached a peak (about 100-fold) at 3 to 6 hours. A second peak (60-fold) was observed at 24 hours, and the expression returned to near basal levels (3-fold) at 48 hours. Expression of IL-1 beta and TNF genes showed a pattern similar to that of IL-1 alpha. Three hours after LPS treatment, IL-1 beta and TNF genes were found by in situ hybridization histochemistry to be expressed by "histiocyte-like" cells in the stroma of the ICB. None of these genes were detected in the control rats.

Conclusions: Expression of IL-1 alpha, IL-1 beta, and TNF genes was dramatically up-regulated in the process of EIU. These genes were found to be expressed in "histiocyte-like" cells in the ICB, and may have an important role in EIU.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Bacterial Toxins
  • Base Sequence
  • Ciliary Body / metabolism
  • DNA Primers
  • Endotoxins
  • Enterotoxins
  • Gene Expression
  • In Situ Hybridization
  • Interleukin-1 / genetics
  • Interleukin-1 / metabolism*
  • Iris / metabolism
  • Male
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Rats
  • Rats, Inbred Lew
  • Salmonella
  • Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / genetics
  • Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / metabolism*
  • Up-Regulation
  • Uveitis, Anterior / chemically induced
  • Uveitis, Anterior / metabolism*
  • Uveitis, Anterior / pathology

Substances

  • Bacterial Toxins
  • DNA Primers
  • Endotoxins
  • Enterotoxins
  • Interleukin-1
  • Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha
  • salmonella toxin