We have used retrovirus-mediated gene transfer to demonstrate complementation of the cystic fibrosis (CF) defect in vitro. Amphotropic retroviruses were used to transduce a functional cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) cDNA into CFPAC-1, a pancreatic adenocarcinoma cell line derived from a patient with CF that stably expresses the chloride transport abnormalities characteristic of CF. CFPAC-1 cells were exposed to control virus (PLJ) and CFTR-expressing virus (PLJ-CFTR); viral-transduced clones were isolated and subjected to molecular and physiologic analysis. RNA analysis detected a viral-derived CFTR transcript in all of the PLJ-CFTR clones that contained unrearranged proviral sequences. Agents that increase intracellular cAMP stimulated 125I efflux in PLJ-CFTR clones but not PLJ clones. Whole-cell patch-clamp performed on three responding clones showed that the anion efflux responses were due to cAMP stimulation of Cl conductance. Our findings indicate that expression of the normal CFTR gene confers cAMP-dependent Cl channel regulation on CF epithelial cells.

The proinflammatory effects of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) are modulated in large part through the induction of interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) release by mononuclear phagocytes. However, IL-1's target cell effects can be suppressed by IL-1 receptor agonist (IL-1ra). Because mononuclear phagocytes produce and respond to IL-1 via IL-1 receptors, we hypothesized that IL-1ra may also be able to block receptors on IL-1 producer cells and inhibit secondary IL-1-induced IL-1 production. To test this hypothesis, mononuclear cells and alveolar macrophages were stimulated with LPS in the presence of IL-1ra and analyzed for IL-1 beta and TNF-alpha production. For mononuclear cells, IL-1ra inhibited 6-h LPS- and IL-1 alpha-induced IL-1 beta release to 66 +/- 4% (P = 0.001 by paired t test) and 39 +/- 7% (P = 0.0005 by paired t test) of control, respectively. In addition, IL-1ra reduced both LPS- and IL-1 alpha-stimulated IL-1 beta mRNA levels to 78 and 37% of control, respectively. Furthermore, IL-1ra downregulated both LPS and IL-1 alpha-induced TNF-alpha release to 84 +/- 4% (P = 0.012 by paired t test) and 49 +/- 9% (P = 0.001 by paired t test) of control, respectively. Alveolar macrophages demonstrated variable IL-1ra-induced suppression of LPS-stimulated IL-1 beta and TNF-alpha release.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

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