M. Takano et al., EXPRESSION OF LOW-MOLECULAR-WEIGHT KININOGEN MESSENGER-RNA IN HUMAN FIBROBLAST WI38 CELLS, Japanese Journal of Pharmacology, 71(4), 1996, pp. 341-343
Expression of the low-molecular-weight kininogen (L-kininogen) mRNA in
the human fibroblast cell line WI38 was examined by means of the reve
rse-transcription polymerase chain reaction and Southern blotting usin
g human L-kininogen cDNA as a probe. The results demonstrated that WI3
8 fibroblasts expressed L-kininogen mRNA and that the expression was s
timulated by 1 mM dibutyryl cAMP or 10 mu M prostaglandin E(2). Dexame
thasone (1 mu M) inhibited the stimulatory effect of prostaglandin E(2
). These results suggest that human fibroblasts supply L-kininogen, a
protein precursor of the inflammatory mediator kinins, to connective t
issues in response to inflammatory stimuli and that glucocorticoids ma
y exert the antiinflammatory effect in part by inhibiting the local pr
oduction of L-kininogen.