To better predict the consequences of blocking signal transduction pathways as a means of controlling intestinal inflammation, we are characterizing the pathways up-regulated by IL-1 in intestinal epithelial cells (IEC). IL-1beta induced increased mRNA levels of MIP-2, MCP-1, RANTES, inducible NO synthase (iNOS), and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) in the IEC-18 cell line. IL-1beta activated NF-kappaB but not ERK or p38. Infecting cells with adenovirus expressing a mutated gene for IkappaBalpha (IkappaBAA) blocked IL-1-induced mRNA increases in MIP-2, MCP-1, and iNOS but not COX-2 or RANTES. Expression of IkappaBAA attenuated the IL-1-induced increase in COX-2 protein. Unexpectedly, RANTES mRNA increased, and protein was secreted by cells expressing IkappaBAA in the absence of IL-1. Adenovirus-expressing IkappaBAA, blocking protein synthesis, and IL-1beta all resulted in activation of JNK. The JNK inhibitor SP600125 prevented the RANTES increases by all three stimuli. A human enterocyte line was similarly examined, and both NF-kappaB and JNK regulate IL-1-induced RANTES secretion. We conclude that in IEC-18, IL-1beta-induced increases in mRNA for MIP-2, MCP-1, and iNOS are NF-kappaB-dependent, whereas regulation of RANTES mRNA is independent of NF-kappaB but is positively regulated by JNK. IL-1beta-induced mRNA increases in COX-2 mRNA are both NF-kappaB- and MAPK-independent but the translation of COX-2 protein is NF-kappaB-dependent. This pattern of signaling due to a single stimulus exposed the complexities of regulating inflammatory genes in IEC.