Figure 4.

Functional CREB mediates persistent inhibition of TNF. (A) Human macrophages were incubated in vitro with acetylcholine (ACh), washed and rested for 24 h, and subsequently exposed to endotoxin (LPS) for 4 h. TNF was measured in the culture media using ELISA. (B) Primary human macrophages were transduced with adenovirus engineered to encode a dominant negative phosphorylation defective CREB (ACREB), or a GFP-expressing control adenovirus. After viral transduction, cells were stimulated with the selective α7nAChR agonist GTS21, washed, and cultured for 24 h before exposure to endotoxin. TNF was measured in culture media by ELISA. Mean TNF levels ± SEM in cells transduced with control virus or the phosphorylation defective ACREB-expressing virus (ACREB) are shown. ^*p < 0.05.