Homologous and heterologous desensitization of proto‐oncogene cfos expression in murine peritoneal macrophages

Abstract

Treatment of murine peritoneal macrophages for 30 min with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) resulted in a transient increase in c-fos proto-oncogene mRNA levels (Introna et al., 1986). After 2 h from the initial treatment, c-fos mRNA could no longer be detected and its expression could not be restimulated either by LPS or by other signals including colony stimulating factor-1 (CSF-1) and phorbol myristate acetate (PMA), both of which are able to induce expression of the c-fos gene in unstimulated macrophages. When LPS was removed after an initial 30 min incubation, responsiveness to a second exposure to LPS began to reappear after 3 h and was completely restored by 20 h. The same pattern of desensitization of c-fos induction was observed when CSF-1 stimulated macrophages were subsequently exposed to LPS. The loss of sensitivity to PMA following pretreatment with LPS was selective for c-fos expression as LPS treated macrophages remained responsive to PMA with respect to the ability to stimulate secretion of H₂O₂. The mechanism of desensitization was localized, at least in part, at the level of transcription as demonstrated by analysis of c-fos transcripts in nuclei isolated from macrophages pretreated and restimulated with LPS.