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Modulation of Macrophage Responsiveness to Lipopolysaccharide by IRAK-1 Manipulation

Local activation of the macrophage by endotoxin is essential for the eradication of invasive gram-negative infections. Circulating endotoxin at lower concentrations results in immune cell activation at distant sites leading to tissue injury. Although the cellular mechanisms involved in these potentially dissimilar events are incomplete, it appears that the proximal kinase IRAK-1 plays a role. Thus, sense and antisense IRAK-1 oligonucleotides were used to determine the role IRAK-1 plays in macrophage activation by systemic (1–100 ng/mL) and local (1000 ng/mL) concentration of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) within THP-1 cells. Within the sense group, 1–1000 ng/mL of LPS within the sense group resulted in cellular activation of ERK-1/2, p38, and JNK/SAPK and the nuclear activation of NF-&kgr;B and AP-1. This activation was associated with proinflammatory cytokine production and cellular spreading. Systemic concentrations of LPS within the antisense group were associated with significant attenuation of intracellular signaling, cytokine production, and cellular spreading compared with the sense group. Local concentrations of LPS within the antisense group, however, were associated only with a delay in intracellular signaling, with no effect on cytokine production or cell spreading compared with the sense group. Based on these results, it appears that IRAK-1 is essential to macrophage activation at systemic, but not local, concentrations of LPS. These data suggest that redundant pathways exist that are functional at higher concentrations of LPS. Therefore, IRAK-1 appears to be the central kinase involved in the activation of the macrophage at distant sites during septic shock but is not necessary for activation in areas of local infection.