INHIBITION OF THE DNA-BINDING ACTIVITY OF NF-KAPPA-B BY GOLD COMPOUNDS IN-VITRO

Nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kappa B) is a transcription factor that is critical for the inducible expression of multiple cellular and viral g enes. DNA binding activity is essential for its function. Here, we rep ort that gold compounds, especially aurothioglucose (AuTG), have a str ong inhibitory effect on NF-kappa B-DNA binding. Our finding also reve als that Zn2+ is a necessary component of NF-kappa B for its DNA bindi ng activity and that gold ion can efficiently block NF-kappa B-DNA bin ding, presumably through oxidation of the cysteins associated with zin c. This redox mechanism may provide an explanation for the observed ef ficacy of gold compounds in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.