Selective sensitization to tumor necrosis factor-α-induced apoptosis by blockade of NF-κB in primary glomerular mesangial cells

Abstract

Recent data have implicated nuclear factor κB (NFκB) in the prevention of apoptosis in transformed cell lines exposed to tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α). However, it is obscure whether NF-κB plays an anti-apoptotic role in nontransformed cells, and it is not clear whether NF-κB inhibits apoptosis triggered by other mediators. We investigated the effect of specific inhibition of NF-κB on cytokine-induced apoptosis of glomerular mesangial cells, which is important in determining the outcome of glomerulonephritis. Cultured rat mesangial cells were stably transfected with the dominant negative mutant inhibitor of NF-κB (IκBαM). IκBαM was resistant to stimulus-dependent degradation and suppressed..