Nuclear factor–kappa B (NF-κB) is a heterodimeric
transcription factor typically composed of p50 and p65 subunits and is a
pleiotropic regulator of various inflammatory and immune responses. In
quiescent cells, p50/p65 dimers are sequestered in the cytoplasm bound
to its inhibitors, the I-κBs, which prevent entry into the nucleus.
Following cellular stimulation, the I-κBs are rapidly degraded,
activating NF-κB. The active form of NF-κB rapidly translocates
into the nucleus, binding to consensus sequences in the
promoter/enhancer region of various genes, promoting their
transcription. In human vascular endothelial cells activated with tumor
necrosis factor-alpha, the activation and translocation of NF-κB is
rapid, reaching maximal nuclear localization by 30 min. In this study, the
appearance of NF-κB (p65 subunit, p65-NF-κB) in the nucleus
visualized by immunofluorescence and quantified by morphometric image
analysis (integrated optical density, IOD) is compared to the appearance
of activated p65-NF-κB protein in the nucleus determined
biochemically. The appearance of p65-NF-κB in the nucleus measured by
fluorescence image analysis and biochemically express a linear correlation
(R2 = 0.9477). These data suggest that localization
and relative protein concentrations of NF-κB can be reliably
determined from IOD measurements of the immunofluorescent labeled
protein.