Viral induction of Zac1b through TLR3- and IRF3-dependent pathways.

Zinc finger protein regulator of apoptosis and cell cycle arrest (Zac1) is a transcription factor able to induce apoptosis or cell cycle arrest through independent pathways. In spite of the important potential functions attributed to Zac1, little is known of its physiological regulation and biological function. We discovered that variant Zac1b was expressed in murine embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) treated with polyriboinosinic polyribocytidylic acid [poly(I:C)], a synthetic double-stranded RNA.

Pro-inflammatory properties for thiazolidinediones.

Thiazolidinediones (TZDs) are pharmacological ligands of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-gamma that are extensively used in the treatment of type II diabetes. Recently, an anti-inflammatory potential for TZDs has been suggested, based on observations that these compounds may inhibit pro-inflammatory cytokine expression in vitro and may attenuate the inflammatory response in vivo. Here, we show that the TZDs rosiglitazone (RSG) and troglitazone (TRO) do not inhibit the inflammatory response to tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha in various epithelial cell types.