Pediatr Allergy Respir Dis.  2004 Mar;14(1):38-45.

Effect of Mycoplasma pneumoniae on IL-8 Gene Expression in Human Respiratory Epithelial Cells

• Sohn MH
• Lee KE
• Choi SY
• Kwon BC
• Kim WK
• Jang GC
• Chang MW
• Kim KE

Abstract

PURPOSE
Mycoplasma pneumoniae is a common cause of lower respiratory disease. Several studies have suggested that M. pneumoniae respiratory infection is associated with reactive airway disease and asthma. It has been suggested that Interleukin-8 (IL-8) has a role in the pathogenesis of allergic inflammation of bronchial asthma and is well known to be expressed in bronchial epithelial cells. METHODS: In this study, we examined the effect of M. pneumoniae extract and the role of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) on IL-8 expression in human lung epithelial cells. IL-8 levels were determined by an enzyme linked-immunosorbent assay. Extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) phosphorylation was assessed by western blotting. RESULTS: In A549 cells, M. pneumoniae extract induced IL-8 release in a time- or dose- dependent manner. Pretreatment with PD98059, which blocks the activation of MAPK/ERK kinase 1, before M. pneumoniae extract stimulation inhibited the increase in the production of IL-8 by 64.4% at 25 M. Stimulation of A549 cells by extract caused an increase in the activity of ERK, compared with the non-stimulated cells. The extract stimulation had no effect on the activities of p38. CONCLUSION: These observations suggest that activation of ERK by M. pneumoniae extract may be one of the mechanisms that result in the increase of the production of IL-8.

Keyword

Mycoplasma pneumoniae; Interleukin-8; Respiratory epithelial cells

MeSH Terms

Asthma
Blotting, Western
Epithelial Cells*
Gene Expression*
Humans*
Inflammation
Interleukin-8*
Lung
Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases
Mycoplasma pneumoniae*
Mycoplasma*
Phosphorylation
Phosphotransferases
Pneumonia
Pneumonia, Mycoplasma*
Interleukin-8
Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases
Phosphotransferases