Pre-B-cell colony-enhancing factor (PBEF/Visfatin) gene expression is modulated by NF-kappaB and AP-1 in human

C E Kendal1, G D Bryant-Greenwood

  • 1Developmental and Reproductive Biology, University of Hawaii, 651 Ilalo Street, Biosciences Building, John A. Burns School of Medicine, Honolulu, HI 96813, USA. kendal@pbrc.hawaii.edu

Placenta
|May 17, 2006
PubMed

A localized intrauterine inflammatory response is often associated with the initiation of normal human parturition, whereas infection causes a similar but more florid response initiating preterm labor. Pre-B-cell colony-enhancing factor (PBEF) is expressed in the human fetal membranes and is up-regulated by labor, severe infection and inflammatory stimuli. The aim of this study was to determine the involvement of the transcription factors NF-kappaB and AP-1 in the response of PBEF to an inflammatory stimulus and compare it with IL-8. The results showed that this treatment of amniotic epithelial-like cells (WISH) and primary amniotic epithelial cells increased expression of PBEF and IL-8, but IL-8 responded 100-fold more than PBEF. IL-1beta treatment together with a panel of NF-kappaB and AP-1 inhibitors demonstrated the involvement of these transcription factors in the up-regulation of PBEF. These data show that an inflammatory stimulus in the fetal membranes inducing NF-kappaB and AP-1 would up-regulate PBEF as well as IL-8.

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