Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 13, 2026

Accurate and Simple Measurement of the Pro-inflammatory Cytokine IL-1β using a Whole Blood Stimulation Assay
06:29

Accurate and Simple Measurement of the Pro-inflammatory Cytokine IL-1β using a Whole Blood Stimulation Assay

Published on: March 2, 2011

Modulation of interleukin-1 beta production by cyclic AMP in human monocytes

M Hurme1

  • 1Department of Bacteriology and Immunology, University of Helsinki, Finland.

FEBS Letters
|April 9, 1990
PubMed

Insights

Elevated cyclic AMP (cAMP) levels can inhibit or enhance interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) production in human monocytes. This effect depends on the activation signal, impacting IL-1β mRNA levels differently.

Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Cellular Biology
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) is recognized as a key signaling molecule involved in regulating inflammatory responses.
  • Elevated cAMP levels have been traditionally viewed as a suppressive signal for interleukin-1 (IL-1) production.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of cAMP in regulating IL-1 beta production.
  • To determine if the effect of cAMP on IL-1 beta production is dependent on the activation stimulus.

Main Methods:

  • Human monocytes were activated using either lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA).
  • Dibutyryl cAMP was administered to assess its impact on IL-1 beta production and mRNA levels.
  • Quantitative analysis of IL-1 beta protein and mRNA was performed.

Main Results:

  • Dibutyryl cAMP inhibited IL-1 beta production in LPS-activated monocytes without altering IL-1 beta mRNA levels.
  • In contrast, dibutyryl cAMP significantly increased IL-1 beta production (approximately 4-fold) in PMA-activated monocytes.
  • Simultaneously, PMA activation with dibutyryl cAMP led to increased steady-state levels of IL-1 beta mRNA.

Conclusions:

  • The effect of cAMP on IL-1 beta production is stimulus-dependent.
  • cAMP can differentially regulate IL-1 beta at post-transcriptional or translational levels in LPS-activated cells.
  • cAMP signaling can enhance IL-1 beta production and gene expression in PMA-activated monocytes.

More Related Videos

Activation and Measurement of NLRP3 Inflammasome Activity Using IL-1β in Human Monocyte-derived Dendritic Cells09:04

Activation and Measurement of NLRP3 Inflammasome Activity Using IL-1β in Human Monocyte-derived Dendritic Cells

Published on: May 22, 2014

Isolation Protocol of Mouse Monocyte-derived Dendritic Cells and Their Subsequent In Vitro Activation with Tumor Immune Complexes11:48

Isolation Protocol of Mouse Monocyte-derived Dendritic Cells and Their Subsequent In Vitro Activation with Tumor Immune Complexes

Published on: May 31, 2018

Related Concept Videos

Intracellular Signaling Cascades01:24

Intracellular Signaling Cascades

Once a ligand binds to a receptor, the signal is transmitted through the membrane and into the cytoplasm. The continuation of a signal in this manner is called signal transduction. Signal transduction only occurs with cell-surface receptors, which cannot interact with most components of the cell, such as DNA. Only internal receptors can interact directly with DNA in the nucleus to initiate protein synthesis. When a ligand binds to its receptor, conformational changes occur that affect the...
Differentiation of Common Myeloid Progenitor Cells01:15

Differentiation of Common Myeloid Progenitor Cells

Common myeloid progenitors (CMPs) are oligopotent cells that can differentiate into granulocytes and macrophages. Granulocytes and macrophages are essential for protecting the body against bacterial, viral, or fungal infections. They migrate from the bone marrow into the circulating blood to reach specific tissue sites where they differentiate and help in immune surveillance. However, they survive only for a few days and must be continuously made available to the organism to maintain a robust...
Feedback Regulation of Calcium Concentration01:27

Feedback Regulation of Calcium Concentration

Calcium is an essential signaling molecule required for various cellular functions. Calcium pumps and ion channels on cell and organellar membranes, such as those on the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), regulate calcium concentrations inside the cell. They remain closed, keeping the cytosolic calcium levels low at a resting state.
Various transmembrane receptors, such as G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), elicit a response to extracellular signals by increasing cytosolic calcium. Activated GPCRs...
Calmodulin-dependent Signaling01:16

Calmodulin-dependent Signaling

Calmodulin (CaM) is a calcium-binding protein in eukaryotes that controls various calcium-regulated cellular processes. It has four calcium-binding sites that bind calcium to form the calcium-calmodulin ( Ca2+-CaM) complex. GPCR stimulation increases the calcium levels in the cells that bind to CaM and induces a conformational change.
The Ca2+-CaM complex does not have enzymatic activity by itself. Instead, the complex binds downstream target proteins, including membrane proteins or enzymes,...
T Cell Types and Functions01:24

T Cell Types and Functions

When T cells with CD4 markers are activated, they give rise to two types of effector cells: helper T cells and regulatory T cells. Meanwhile, T cells with CD8 markers differentiate into effector cytotoxic T cells. The differentiation of CD4 T cells into helper T cell subsets, such as Th1, Th2, and Th17 cells, is dependent on the antigen type, antigen-presenting cell, and regulatory cytokines.
Th1 cells stimulate dendritic cells to express necessary co-stimulatory molecules on their surfaces for...