Transcriptional up-regulation of the signaling regulatory protein LNK in activated endothelial cells.

Background: A better understanding of inflammatory processes in endothelial cells (ECs) might reveal new ways of controlling inflammation and graft rejection. This study investigates EC genes regulated in response to human tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha and xenogeneic natural antibodies (XNAs) that contribute to endothelial activation during transplantation.

Methods: Gene expression between resting and activated ECs was investigated by RNA differential display reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction and confirmed by reverse-Northern blot.

Results: Forty-five cDNA fragments corresponding to genes up-regulated in activated ECs were identified. Our findings show that TNF-alpha-mediated EC activation was associated with increased levels of mRNA for the adaptor protein Lnk, the nuclear protein RED, and the initiation factor eIF4G. We further show that Lnk and eIF4G were also up-regulated in response to XNA binding to ECs.

Conclusion: Our data suggest that TNF-alpha and XNAs could share common signaling pathways involving Lnk and eIF4G but may also drive specific transcriptional events.