Alterations in membrane permeability is an early event in the cytotoxic effect of TNF alpha

Measurement of cytotoxicity by propidium iodide staining of target cell DNA. Application to the quantification of murine TNF-alpha

A rapid and sensitive method is described for the determination of murine tumor necrosis factor (TNF-alpha), which can be performed in microtiter plates using a fluorescence plate scanner. The method is based on the binding of propidium iodide (PI), a membrane-impermeant dye, to nucleic acids of WEHI 164 cells, whose plasma membrane permeable due to TNF-alpha-induced cell damage. The analytical range for the proposed method is 0.3-200 pg/ml of TNF-alpha after 5 h of incubation. The optimal number of target cells was found to be 4-5X10(4)/well. The variability obtained for the PI assay was 7.6%; lower than that obtained with a commonly employed method in which MTT is used to determine cell viability (11.3%). Thus, the PI assay appears to be a reliable and reproducible method for the determination of biologically active TNF-alpha. The assay can be performed in a few hours and has the advantage over the current MTT and 51Cr-released assays that kinetic studies of TNF-alpha toxicity are possible since it permits multiple, sequenced measurements of cell viability during the incubation of the sample. The method can also be used for the determination of human TNF-alpha.

Signal transduction pathways in oligodendrocytes: role of tumor necrosis factor-alpha

We have used a combination of electrophysiological and biochemical approaches to investigate the effects and the mechanisms of action of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) on cultured oligodendrocytes (OLGs). Our studies have led to the following conclusions: (1) prolonged exposure of mature ovine OLGs to TNF-alpha leads to inhibition of process extension, membrane depolarization and a decrease in the amplitudes of both inwardly rectifying and outward K+ currents; (2) brief exposure of OLGs to TNF-alpha does not elicit membrane depolarization or consistent changes in cytosolic Ca2+ levels; (3) incubation of OLGs with TNF-alpha for 1 hr results in inhibition of phosphorylation of myelin basic protein and 2',3'-cyclic nucleotide phosphohydrolase. Ceramides, which have been shown to be effectors of TNF-alpha, are ineffective in inhibiting phosphorylation, whereas sphingomyelinase mimics TNF-alpha in this action. These observations suggest that other products of sphingomyelin hydrolysis may be the mediator(s) of TNF-alpha effect on protein phosphorylation. We have thus demonstrated that TNF-alpha can perturb the functions of OLGs via modulation of ion channels and of protein phosphorylation without necessarily inducing cell death. It is conceivable that modulation of ion channels and protein phosphorylation constitutes effective mechanisms for the participation of cytokines in signal transduction during myelination, demyelination and remyelination.