Retracted: Mitogen-activated protein kinases regulateMycobacterium avium-induced tumor necrosis factor-α release from macrophages

Abstract

Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) is one of the key cytokines elicited by host macrophages upon challenge with pathogenic mycobacteria. Infection of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells or the murine macrophage cell line J774A–1 with Mycobacterium avium induced activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) ERK1/2, p38 and c-Jun N-terminal kinase. U0126, an MEK-specific inhibitor, abrogated M. avium-induced TNF-α secretion. Transfection of cells with dominant-negative MEK1 led to the suppression of TNF-α release in M. avium-challenged macrophages. M. avium activated p38 MAPK and use of the p38 MAPK inhibitor, SB203580, revealed that the p38 signaling pathway negatively regulates activation of ERK1/2 and release of TNF-α. Taken together, these results provide evidence that M. avium-induced TNF-α release from macrophages depends on an interplay between the ERK1/2 and the p38 MAPK signaling pathways.