Fibronectin attachment is permissive for IL-1 mediated gene regulation

This study examines the effect of cell-matrix interaction on IL-1 induced gene regulation. In fibroblasts and smooth muscle cells attached to fibronectin, IL-1 caused a pronounced reduction in proteoglycan synthesis, while no reduction occurred in cells plated on bare plastic. Further, fibronectin attachment was permissive for IL-1 mediated suppression of both versican and collagen mRNA levels, initially noted after 4-6 h of IL-1 incubation. Attachment to vitronectin was less potent in influencing regulation, and collagen had no effect, suggesting specificity of the matrix modulation of the IL-1 induced response. Similar fibronectin induced dependence was demonstrated for IL-1 regulation of IL-6 gene expression, supporting the notion of a general effect of fibronectin receptor engagement on IL-1 induced signal transduction.