Related Experiment Videos
Regulation of cytosolic phospholipase A2 expression by cytokines in human amnion cells
1Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacology, University of Auckland, School of Medicine, New Zealand. w.hansen@auckland.ac.nz
Insights
Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) increases cytosolic phospholipase A2 (cPLA2) mRNA and protein in amnion cells. This enhances prostaglandin (PG) production, crucial for labor initiation, especially during intrauterine infection.
Area of Science:
- Reproductive Biology
- Molecular Endocrinology
- Cellular Signaling
Background:
- Prostaglandins (PGs) mediate labor initiation at term and preterm.
- Fetal membranes release pro-inflammatory cytokines, boosting PG biosynthesis.
- Cytosolic phospholipase A2 (cPLA2) liberates arachidonic acid in amnion cells.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effect of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) on cPLA2 expression in amnion epithelial cells.
- To determine the role of cPLA2 in TNF-alpha-induced prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) biosynthesis.
Main Methods:
- Amnion-derived WISH cells were treated with TNF-alpha.
- cPLA2 mRNA and protein expression levels were quantified over time.
- The impact of interleukin-4 (IL-4) on cPLA2 expression was assessed.
- The effect of a cPLA2 inhibitor (AACOCF3) on PGE2 production was evaluated.
Main Results:
- TNF-alpha significantly increased cPLA2 mRNA expression in a time-dependent manner.
- TNF-alpha also elevated cPLA2 protein levels.
- Interleukin-4 did not affect TNF-alpha-induced cPLA2 expression.
- The cPLA2 inhibitor AACOCF3 markedly inhibited PGE2 biosynthesis.
Conclusions:
- TNF-alpha upregulates cPLA2 mRNA and protein abundance in amnion epithelial cells.
- This upregulation is critical for prostaglandin biosynthesis in amnion cells, particularly during intrauterine infection.
Abstract:
The metabolism of arachidonic acid results in the production of prostaglandins (PGs), which are involved in the initiation of labour at term and preterm. The fetal membranes are a source of pro-inflammatory cytokines which promote increased PG biosynthesis via increased release of arachidonic acid and its conversion to biologically active metabolites such as PGE2 and PGF2alpha. In the amnion, the liberation of arachidonic acid from membrane glycerophospholipid stores can be catalysed by cytosolic phospholipase A2 (cPLA2). In amnion-derived WISH cells, the addition of tumour-necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) (50 ng/ml) provoked a time-dependent increase in the expression of the cPLA2 mRNA which was greatest at 8 and 16 h post-treatment (3.62+/-0.52 and 3.15+/-0.45-fold of control, n=3). The increase in cPLA2 mRNA expression by TNF-alpha was unaffected by the prior addition of interleukin-4 (IL-4) (10 ng/ml), a known inhibitor of prostaglandin endoperoxide H synthase (PGHS)-2 mRNA and protein expression in WISH cells. TNF-alpha also increased the level of immunoreactive cPLA2 protein in a time-dependent manner with the highest levels evident after 8 and 16 h. As with the mRNA, cPLA2 protein levels were unaffected by pre-incubation with IL-4. The inclusion of the cPLA2-specific inhibitor arachidonyl trifluoromethyl ketone (AACOCF3) resulted in a concentration-dependent inhibition of PGE2 biosynthesis in WISH cells treated with TNF-alpha (>95 per cent at 2 microM). We conclude that TNF-alpha increases the abundance of the cPLA2 mRNA and protein in amnion epithelial cells, an effect which plays an important role in amnion PG biosynthesis in the presence of intrauterine infection.