EXPRESSION OF LOW-MOLECULAR-WEIGHT KININOGEN MESSENGER-RNA IN HUMAN FIBROBLAST WI38 CELLS

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.