Regulation of MHC protein expression in pancreatic beta-cells by interferon-gamma and tumor necrosis factor-alpha.

Abstract

Isolated human and mouse pancreatic islet cells and the rat insulinoma cell line RIN-m5F were used to examine the ability of recombinant interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) to regulate the expression of the class I and class II major histocompatibility (MHC) surface proteins and mRNA in beta-cells. Each cytokine increased significantly the expression of class I MHC proteins as determined by double indirect immunofluorescence microscopy and flow cytofluorimetric analysis. In the RIN-m5F cells, this increase in surface expressed class I MHC proteins was mirrored by an increase in the level of class I MHC mRNA. The order of potency of the cytokines on class ..