NF-kappaB activation is required for C5a-induced interleukin-8 gene expression in mononuclear cells.

C5a, a potent peptide chemoattractant, stimulates interleukin-8 (IL-8) secretion from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). Experiments were conducted to understand the mechanisms for C5a-induced IL-8 production, which was 14-fold greater than that in unstimulated cells by 2 hours. IL-8 secretion was accompanied by accumulation of IL-8 mRNA in the cytosol and by nuclear expression of a kappaB DNA binding activity within 30 minutes. AP-1 but not NF-IL-6 DNA binding activity was also detected in C5a-stimulated PBMC; however, its delayed expression (maximal at 4 hours) suggested a less important role in the rapid production of IL-8. The correlation between C5a-induced kappaB binding activity and IL-8 gene expression was examined in the RAW264.7 macrophage cells using reporter genes directed by the kappaB sequence from IkappaBalpha and IL-8 promoter regions. C5a-induced reporter gene expression was abolished by introducing mutations into the kappaB sites and by coexpression of a dominant negative IkappaBalpha construct resistant to agonist-induced phosphorylation. Pertussis toxin, which ADP-ribosylates the Gi proteins known to couple to the C5a receptor, produced minimal inhibition of C5a-induced IL-8 expression and had little effect on C5a-induced calcium mobilization in RAW264.7 cells. These results suggest that NF-kappaB activation is required for C5a-induced IL-8 gene expression and that this response is mediated primarily through a pertussis toxin-insensitive pathway.