Our recent studies have demonstrated that in response to lipopolysaccharide
(LPS) challenge, alveolar epithelial cells produced tumor necrosis factor
(TNF)-alpha, an early response cytokine in the inflammatory process. To inv
estigate whether LPS-induced TNF-alpha release is related to other inflamma
tory mediators from the same cell type, we examined effects of LPS stimulat
ion on macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP)-2 production by alveolar epith
elial cells, and then examined the relationship between TNF-alpha and MIP-2
production. LPS stimulation induced a dose- and time-dependent release of
MIP-2. The steady-state messenger RNA level of MIP-2 was significantly incr
eased, with the MIP-2 protein localized within alveolar epithelial cells, a
s determined by confocal microscopy. The LPS-induced MIP-2 production is re
gulated at both the transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels. TNF-al
pha also induced MIP-2 production from alveolar epithelial cells. Preincuba
tion with an antisense oligonucleotide against TNF-alpha inhibited LPS-indu
ced TNF-alpha in a dose-dependent and sequence-specific manner. The same an
tisense also inhibited MIP-2 production. The inhibitory effects were highly
correlated. Polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies against TNF-alpha also at
tenuated LPS-induced MIP-2. These results suggest that LPS-induced MIP-2 re
lease from alveolar epithelial cells may be mediated in part by TNF-alpha f
rom the same cell type. This autoregulatory mechanism may amplify LPS-induc
ed signals involved in host defense as well as in acute inflammatory reacti
ons.