Up‐regulation of the interleukin‐6‐signal transducing protein (gp130) by interleukin‐6 and dexamethasone in HepG2 cells

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Abstract
The hepatic IL‐6‐receptor is composed of an 80 kDa IL‐6‐binding protein and a 130 kDa polypeptide (gp130) believed to be involved in signal transduction. Previous experiments have shown that the 80 kDa IL‐6‐rueptor is up‐regulated by glucocorticoids, but not by IL‐6. Here we demonstrate that IL‐6 together with the synthetic glucocorticoid dexamethasone induces the expression of mRNA for gp130 approximately 5‐fold in HepG2 cells. The induction was dose‐ and time‐dependent, Dexamothasone alone, interferon‐γ, IL‐1α and IL‐1β had no effect. A possible role for the regulation of the IL‐6‐signal transducing protein gp130 in various inflammatory states is proposed.