Figure 8
IL-17 stimulation activates phosphorylation of Akt in FLS from patients with RA. The activated form of Akt was detected by western blot analyses using an antibody recognizing phosphorylated Ser473 epitope in RA FLS stimulated with IL-17, while the amount of total Akt remained unchanged. Akt phosphorylation was eliminated in cells treated with two chemical inhibitors of PI3-kinase, LY294002 (20 μM) and wortmannin (200 μM), at the time of IL-17 stimulation. Protein extracts from TGF-β-stimulated FLS were used as positive controls. FLS, fibroblast-like synoviocytes; p-Akt, phosphorylated Akt; PI3-kinase, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase; RA, rheumatoid arthritis.