MACROPHAGE INFLAMMATORY PROTEIN 1-ALPHA MESSENGER-RNA EXPRESSION IN AN IMMORTALIZED MICROGLIAL CELL-LINE AND CORTICAL ASTROCYTE CULTURES

Macrophage inflammatory protein 1 (MIP-1) is a recently characterized inflammatory and chemokinetic cytokine, Proinflammatory stimuli have b een shown to induce expression of MIP-1 by macrophages, We hypothesize d that microglia and astrocytes express MIP-1 alpha. because of their many immunologic similarities to macrophages. MIP-1 alpha mRNA was exa mined with quantitative reverse transcription and polymerase chain rea ction in an immortalized mouse microglial cell line (BV-2) and in mous e cortical astrocyte cultures, We found that in both the BV-2 microgli al cell line and in astrocyte cultures, MIP-1 alpha mRNA was strongly induced by kipopolysaccharide and the phorbol ester PMA, MIP-1 alpha m RNA was reduced by dBcAMP, interferon-gamma and PGE(1). Dexamethasone decreased MIP-1 alpha mRNA levels in astrocyte cultures, but not in BV -2 microglial cells, Interleukin-1 beta, tumor necrosis factor alpha, and MIP-1 alpha had no effect on MIP-1 alpha mRNA expression, These fi ndings demonstrate that MIP-1 alpha mRNA is expressed by cultured glia l cells and is regulated by proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory stim uli, MIP-1 alpha may be expressed by microglia and astrocytes in vivo, and may help modulate cerebral inflammation. (C) 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc .