To confirm the involvement of p38 and SAPK/JNK signaling molecules and to cross check the effect of ERK1/2 on IL-1β, IL-8 and TNF-α upregulation, MDMs were pretreated with SB203580, SP600125 and PD98059 prior to infection with HIV-1wt or HIV-1∆Vpr or mock. The gene discussed is CXCL8; the disease is infection.