Transfection of a human fibrosarcoma cell line with chloramphenicol acetyltransferase expression plasmids linked to a 5'-flanking deletion mutants of the IL-8 gene demonstrated that the nucleotides between -94 and -71 base pairs from the start of the first exon are essential and sufficient for the IL-8 induction by either IL-1, TNF, or phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate.