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Cytokine Interactions with Adrenal Medullary Chromaffin Cells

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Abstract

It is generally accepted that a bi-directional or reciprocal interaction occurs between the immune and neuroendocrine systems, and that this relationship is important for the appropriate physiological functioning of both systems. Similarly, an imbalance in this relationship may contribute to a number of pathologies, most notably those relating to stress. The aim of this article is to consider the interaction of cytokines with the adrenal medulla, a potentially important player in this relationship. The chromaffin cells of the adrenal medulla release catecholamines and a range of biologically active peptides in response to a wide variety of stress-related signals. A growing body of evidence indicates that this stress response is influenced by, and in turn has influence upon, immune signalling. This brief review will focus primarily on the best-described adrenal medullary active cytokines, namely interferon-α, interleukin-6, interleukin-1α/β and tumour necrosis factor-α. In each case, three key issues will be addressed: the physiologically relevant source of the cytokine; the intracellular signalling events arising from activation of its receptor and finally the cellular consequences of such activation in terms of modulation of gene expression and the secretory output of the chromaffin cells.

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  1. Department of Anatomy and Structural Biology, Centre for Neuroendocrinology, School of Medical Sciences, University of Otago, PO Box 913, Dunedin, New Zealand

    Shirley A. Douglas, Dharshini Sreenivasan, Fiona H. Carman & Stephen J. Bunn

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  1. Shirley A. Douglas
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  2. Dharshini Sreenivasan
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  3. Fiona H. Carman
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  4. Stephen J. Bunn
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Correspondence to Stephen J. Bunn.

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A commentary to this article can be found at doi:10.1007/s10571-010-9607-8.

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Douglas, S.A., Sreenivasan, D., Carman, F.H. et al. Cytokine Interactions with Adrenal Medullary Chromaffin Cells. Cell Mol Neurobiol 30, 1467–1475 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10571-010-9593-x

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