Alcohol exposure regulates heat shock transcription factor binding and heat shock proteins 70 and 90 in monocytes and macrophages: implication for TNF-α regulation

Immunomodulatory effects of alcohol use involve regulation of innate immune cell function leading to liver disease. Alteration of inflammatory responses by alcohol is linked to dysregulated TNF-alpha production. Alcohol-induced oxidative stress also contributes to alterations in inflammatory cell activity. Heat shock proteins (hsps) and the heat shock transcription factor-1 (HSF-1) induced by oxidative stress regulate NF-kappa B activation and TNF-alpha gene expression in monocytes and macrophages. Here, we report that in vitro alcohol treatment induced and augmented LPS-induced HSF-1 nuclear translocation and DNA-binding activity in monocytes and macrophages. Supershift analysis revealed that alcohol regulated HSF-1- and not HSF-2-binding activity. Hsp70, a target gene induced by HSF-1, was transiently increased within 24 h by alcohol, but extended alcohol exposure decreased hsp70 in macrophages. The alcohol-induced alteration of hsp70 correlated with a concomitant change in hsp70 promoter activity. Hsp90, another HSF-1 target gene, was decreased during short-term alcohol but increased after prolonged alcohol exposure. Decreased hsp90-HSF-1 complexes after short-term alcohol indicated dissociation of HSF-1 from hsp90. On the other hand, hsp90 interacted with client protein I kappa B kinase beta, a signaling intermediate of the LPS pathway, followed by I kappa B beta degradation and increased NF-kappa B activity after chronic alcohol exposure, indicating that hsp90 plays an important role in supporting inflammatory cytokine production. Inhibition of hsp90 using geldanamycin prevented prolonged alcohol-induced elevation in LPS-induced NF-kappa B and TNF-alpha production. These results suggest that alcohol exposure differentially regulates hsp70 and hsp90 via HSF-1 activation. Further, hsp90 regulates TNF-alpha production in macrophages contributing to alcohol-induced inflammation. J. Leukoc. Biol. 84: 1335-1345; 2008.