Finally, we will investigate the role of zinc-finger proteins in gene expression in inflammatory cells. ZFP36 is an RNA binding zinc finger protein that is involved in the turnover of mRNAs encoding several clinical important cytokines, including TNF(alpha). Several missense, promoter and 3'-untranslated variants have been indentified in humans; in some cases, these variants and their haplotypes have been associated with human inflammatory disease. We will isolate peripheral blood macrophages and stimulate them with LPS and other cytokines, then evaluate the behavior of cytokine mRNA and gene expression.