Relationship between constitutive nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) and inhibitor kappaB-alpha (IkappaB-alpha) in an interferon-alpha-sensitive human Burkitt lymphoma cell line.

The human Burkitt lymphoma Daudi cell line expresses constitutively active nuclear factor kappaB (NF-kappaB) in the nucleus in spite of high levels of inhibitor kappaB-alpha (IkappaB-alpha) in the cytoplasm. The antiproliferative response of these cells to interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) correlated with the inhibition of the constitutive NF-kappaB activity by the cytokine. The present study shows that IFN-alpha caused an increase in p53 level, inhibited cell proliferation by [(3)H]thymidine incorporation, and stimulated cytotoxicity and apoptosis by PARP-cleavage in the Daudi cells. In order to study the relationship between the constitutively active NF-kappaB and IkappaB-alpha, a dominant negative mutant IkappaB-alpha (IkappaB-alphaDN), lacking the N-terminal 36 amino acids required for the activation of NF-kappaB by tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), was expressed in the Daudi cells. The expression of IkappaB-alphaDN protein did not inhibit the constitutive NF-kappaB activity, but it inhibited cell proliferation, antiproliferative response to IFN-alpha, and phosphorylated mitogen activated protein kinase (p-MAPK) level. Thus, our results suggest that constitutive NF-kappaB activity in the human Burkitt lymphoma Daudi cells is maintained by a mechanism independent of IkappaB-alpha degradation, and that the IkappaB-alpha is involved in the proliferation of these cells, possibly through the MAP kinase pathway. Therefore, in addition to IFN-alpha treatment, both NF-kappaB and IkappaB-alpha may be used as drug targets for inhibiting cell proliferation in the lymphomas.