Regulation of inducible nitric oxide synthase expression in l6 rat skeletal muscle cells. Okuda, S., F. Kanda, Y. Kawahara, and K. Chihara. Third Division, Department of Medicine, Kobe University School of Medicine, First Division, Department of Medicine, Kobe University School of Medicine, 7-5-1 Kusunoki-cho, Chuo-ku, Kobe 650, Japan
APStracts 3:0248C, 1996.
Cytokine-stimulated expression of inducible type of nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) seems to be regulated by various signal pathways in a cell-specific manner. In this study, we examined how it was regulated in L6 rat skeletal muscle cells. In L6 cells, the combination of interleukin 1[beta] and interferon [gamma] induced a marked accumulation of nitrite, a stable metabolite of NO. In parallel with this reaction, iNOS mRNA expression was achieved at a maximum between 3 and 6 h, and iNOS protein was detectable at 6 h and peaked at 24 h after stimulation. Tyrosine kinase inhibitors, herbimycin A and genistein suppressed cytokine-induced iNOS expression and nitrite production. Forskolin, a cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) -activator, and phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate, a protein kinase C (PKC)-activating phorbol ester, enhanced cytokine-induced these reactions. These results indicate that iNOS expression by cytokines is mediated via a protein tyrosine kinase-dependent pathway and is positively modulated by both PKA- and PKC-dependent pathways in this cell type.

Received 11 April 1996; accepted in final form 10 July 1996
APS Manuscript Number C199-6.
Article publication pending Am. J. Physiol. (Cell Physiology).
ISSN 1080-4757 Copyright 1996 The American Physiological Society.
Published in APStracts on 21 August 1996