RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Tumor necrosis factor and interleukin-1 lead to phosphorylation and loss of I kappa B alpha: a mechanism for NF-kappa B activation. JF Molecular and Cellular Biology JO Mol. Cell. Biol. FD American Society for Microbiology SP 3301 OP 3310 DO 10.1128/MCB.13.6.3301 VO 13 IS 6 A1 Beg, A A A1 Finco, T S A1 Nantermet, P V A1 Baldwin, A S YR 1993 UL http://mcb.asm.org/content/13/6/3301.abstract AB Nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kappa B) is a critical regulator of several genes which are involved in immune and inflammation responses. NF-kappa B, consisting of a 50-kDa protein (p50) and a 65-kDa protein (p65), is bound to a cytoplasmic retention protein called I kappa B. Stimulation of cells with a variety of inducers, including cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor and interleukin-1, leads to the activation and the translocation of p50/65 NF-kappa B into the nucleus. However, the in vivo mechanism of the activation process remains unknown. Here, we provide the first evidence that the in vivo mechanism of NF-kappa B activation is through the phosphorylation and subsequent loss of its inhibitor, I kappa B alpha. We also show that both I kappa B alpha loss and NF-kappa B activation are inhibited in the presence of antioxidants, demonstrating that the loss of I kappa B alpha is a prerequisite for NF-kappa B activation. Finally, we demonstrate that I kappa B alpha is rapidly resynthesized after loss, indicating that an autoregulatory mechanism is involved in the regulation of NF-kappa B function. We propose a mechanism for the activation of NF-kappa B through the modification and loss of I kappa B alpha, thereby establishing its role as a mediator of NF-kappa B activation.