NEUTROPHIL ACTIVATION BY MONOMERIC INTERLEUKIN-8

Interleukin-8 (IL-8), a pro-inflammatory protein, has been shown by nu clear magnetic resonance (NMR) and x-ray techniques to exist as a homo dimer. An IL-8 analog was chemically synthesized, with the amide nitro gen of leucine-25 methylated to selectively block formation of hydroge n bonds between monomers.and thereby prevent dimerization. This analog was shown to be a monomer, as assessed by analytical ultracentrifugat ion and NMR. Nevertheless, it was equivalent to IL-8 in assays of neut rophil activation, which indicates that the monomer is a functional fo rm of IL-8.