Abnormal development of secondary lymphoid tissues in lymphotoxin β-deficient mice

The tumor necrosis factor (TNF) family cytokines lymphotoxin (LT) α and LTβ form heterotrimers that are expressed on the surface of activated lymphocytes and natural killer cells; LTα homotrimers can be secreted as well. Mice with a disrupted LTα gene lack lymph nodes (LN), Peyer’s patches (PP), and follicular dendritic cell (FDC) networks and reveal profound defects of the splenic architecture. However, it is unclear which of these abnormalities is the result of the absence in LTα homotrimers or LTαβ heterotrimers. To distinguish between these two possibilities, a mouse strain deficient in LTβ was created employing Cre/loxP-mediated gene targeting. Mice deficient in LTβ reveal severe defects in organogenesis of the lymphoid system similar to those of LTα−/− mice, except that mesenteric and cervical LN are present in most LTβ-deficient mice. Both LTβ- and LTα-deficient mice show significant lymphocytosis in the circulation and peritoneal cavity and lymphocytic infiltrations in lungs and liver. After immunization, PNA-positive B cell clusters were detected in the splenic white pulp of LTβ-deficient mice, but FDC networks were severely underdeveloped. Collectively, these results indicate that LTα can signal independently from LTβ in the formation of PNA-positive foci in the spleen, and especially in the development of mesenteric and cervical LN.

Severe reduction in leukocyte adhesion and monocyte extravasation in mice deficient in CC chemokine receptor 2

CC chemokine receptor 2 (CCR2) is a prominent receptor for the monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP) group of CC chemokines. Mice generated by gene targeting to lack CCR2 exhibit normal leukocyte rolling but have a pronounced defect in MCP-1-induced leukocyte firm adhesion to microvascular endothelium and reduced leukocyte extravasation. Constitutive macrophage trafficking into the peritoneal cavity was not significantly different between CCR2-deficient and wild-type mice. However, after intraperitoneal thioglycollate injection, the number of peritoneal macrophages in CCR2-deficient mice did not rise above basal levels, whereas in wild-type mice the number of macrophages at 36 h was ≈3.5 times the basal level. The CCR2-deficient mice showed enhanced early accumulation and delayed clearance of neutrophils and eosinophils. However, by 5 days neutrophils and eosinophils in both CCR2-deficient and wild-type mice had returned to near basal levels, indicating that resolution of this inflammatory response can occur in the absence of macrophage influx and CCR2-mediated activation of the resident peritoneal macrophages. After intravenous injection with yeast β-glucan, wild-type mice formed numerous large, well-defined granulomas throughout the liver parenchyma, whereas CCR2-deficient mice had much fewer and smaller granulomas. These results demonstrate that CCR2 is a major regulator of induced macrophage trafficking in vivo.

Estrogens increase the expression of fibulin-1, an extracellular matrix protein secreted by human ovarian cancer cells.

Ovarian cancers have a high ability to invade the peritoneal cavity and some are stimulated by estrogens. In an attempt to understand the mode of action of estrogens on these cancer cells and to develop new markers, we have characterized estrogen-regulated proteins. This study was aimed at identifying a protein secreted by ovarian cancer cells whose level was increased by estradiol [Galtier-Dereure, F., Capony, F., Maudelonde, T. & Rochefort, H. (1992) J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 75, 1497-1502]. By using microprotein sequencing, the 110-kDa protein was identified as fibulin-1, a protein of the extracellular matrix that binds to fibronectin, laminin, and nidogen. The amount of immunoprecipitated fibulin-1 secreted into the medium and present in the cell extract was increased up to 10-fold by estradiol in three estrogen-responsive ovarian cancer cell lines. By immunohistochemistry fibulin-1 was located in the stroma of several ovarian cancers and cysts. The findings highlight a potential role for fibulin-1 in the spread of ovarian cancer in the peritoneal cavity and/or in distal metastases.

Leukocytes express connexin 43 after activation with lipopolysaccharide and appear to form gap junctions with endothelial cells after ischemia-reperfusion.

Levels and subcellular distribution of connexin 43 (Cx43), a gap junction protein, were studied in hamster leukocytes before and after activation with endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide, LPS) both in vitro and in vivo. Untreated leukocytes did not express Cx43. However, Cx43 was clearly detectable by indirect immunofluorescence in cells treated in vitro with LPS (1 micrograms/ml, 3 hr). Cx43 was also detected in leukocytes obtained from the peritoneal cavity 5-7 days after LPS-induced inflammation. In some leukocytes that formed clusters Cx43 immunoreactivity was present at appositional membranes, suggesting formation of homotypic gap junctions. In cell homogenates of activated peritoneal macrophages, Cx43, detected by Western blot analysis, was mostly unphosphorylated. A second in vivo inflammatory condition studied was that induced by ischemia-reperfusion of the hamster cheek pouch. In this system, leukocytes that adhered to venular endothelial cells after 1 hr of ischemia, followed by 1 hr of reperfusion, expressed Cx43. Electron microscope observations revealed small close appositions, putative gap junctions, at leukocyte-endothelial cell and leukocyte-leukocyte contacts. These results indicate that the expression of Cx43 can be induced in leukocytes during an inflammatory response which might allow for heterotypic or homotypic intercellular gap junctional communication. Gap junctions may play a role in leukocyte extravasation.

Sustained delivery of erythropoietin in mice by genetically modified skin fibroblasts.

We have examined whether the secretion of erythropoietin (Epo) from genetically modified cells could represent an alternative to repeated injections of the recombinant hormone for treating chronic anemias responsive to Epo. Primary mouse skin fibroblasts were transduced with a retroviral vector in which the murine Epo cDNA is expressed under the control of the murine phosphoglycerate kinase promoter. "Neo-organs" containing the genetically modified fibroblasts embedded into collagen lattices were implanted into the peritoneal cavity of mice. Increased hematocrit (> 80%) and elevated serum Epo concentration (ranging from 60 to 408 milliunits/ml) were observed in recipient animals over a 10-month observation period. Hematocrit values measured in recipient mice varied according to the number of implanted Epo-secreting fibroblasts (ranging from 2.5 to 20 x 10(6)). The implantation of neo-organs containing Epo-secreting fibroblasts appeared, therefore, as a convenient method to achieve permanent in vivo delivery of the hormone. We estimated that the biological efficacy of the approach may be relevant for the treatment of human hemoglobinopathies.

GroEL-GroES-mediated protein folding requires an intact central cavity

The chaperonin GroEL is an oligomeric double ring structure that, together with the cochaperonin GroES, assists protein folding. Biochemical analyses indicate that folding occurs in a cis ternary complex in which substrate is sequestered within the GroEL central cavity underneath GroES. Recently, however, studies of GroEL “minichaperones” containing only the apical substrate binding subdomain have questioned the functional importance of substrate encapsulation within GroEL-GroES complexes. Minichaperones were reported to assist folding despite the fact that they are monomeric and therefore cannot form a central cavity. Here we compare directly the folding activity of minichaperones with that of the full GroEL-GroES system. In agreement with earlier studies, minichaperones assist folding of some proteins. However, this effect is observed only under conditions where substantial spontaneous folding is also observed and is indistinguishable from that resulting from addition of the nonchaperone protein α-casein. By contrast, the full GroE system efficiently promotes folding of several substrates under conditions where essentially no spontaneous folding is observed. These data argue that the full GroEL folding activity requires the intact GroEL-GroES complex, and in light of previous studies, underscore the importance of substrate encapsulation for providing a folding environment distinct from the bulk solution.

Receptors for oxidized low-density lipoprotein on elicited mouse peritoneal macrophages can recognize both the modified lipid moieties and the modified protein moieties: Implications with respect to macrophage recognition of apoptotic cells

It has been shown previously that the binding of oxidized low-density lipoprotein (OxLDL) to resident mouse peritoneal macrophages can be inhibited (up to 70%) by the apoprotein B (apoB) isolated from OxLDL, suggesting that macrophage recognition of OxLDL is primarily dependent on its modified protein moiety. However, recent experiments have demonstrated that the lipids isolated from OxLDL and reconstituted into a microemulsion can also strongly inhibit uptake of OxLDL (up to 80%). The present studies show that lipid microemulsions prepared from OxLDL bind to thioglycollate-elicited macrophages at 4°C in a saturable fashion and inhibit the binding of intact OxLDL and also of the apoB from OxLDL. Reciprocally, the binding of the OxLDL-lipid microemulsions was strongly inhibited by intact OxLDL. A conjugate of synthetic 1-palmitoyl 2(5-oxovaleroyl) phosphatidylcholine (an oxidation product of 1-palmitoyl 2-arachidonoyl phosphatidylcholine) with serum albumin, shown previously to inhibit macrophage binding of intact OxLDL, also inhibited the binding of both the apoprotein and the lipid microemulsions prepared from OxLDL. Finally, a monoclonal antibody against oxidized phospholipids, one that inhibits binding of intact OxLDL to macrophages, also inhibited the binding of both the resolubilized apoB and the lipid microemulsions prepared from OxLDL. These studies support the conclusions that: (i) at least some of the macrophage receptors for oxidized LDL can recognize both the lipid and the protein moieties; and (ii) oxidized phospholipids, in the lipid phase of the lipoprotein and/or covalently linked to the apoB of OxLDL, likely play a role in that recognition.

Evidence that a prominent cavity in the coiled coil of HIV type 1 gp41 is an attractive drug target

Synthetic C peptides, corresponding to the C helix of the HIV type 1 (HIV-1) gp41 envelope protein, are potent inhibitors of HIV-1 membrane fusion. One such peptide is in clinical trials. The crystal structure of the gp41 core, in its proposed fusion-active conformation, is a trimer of helical hairpins in which three C helices pack against a central coiled coil. Each C helix shows especially prominent contacts with one of three symmetry-related, hydrophobic cavities on the surface of the coiled coil. We show that the inhibitory activity of the C peptide C34 depends on its ability to bind to this coiled-coil cavity. Moreover, examining a series of C34 peptide variants with modified cavity-binding residues, we find a linear relationship between the logarithm of the inhibitory potency and the stability of the corresponding helical-hairpin complexes. Our results provide strong evidence that this coiled-coil cavity is a good drug target and clarify the mechanism of C peptide inhibition. They also suggest simple, quantitative assays for the identification and evaluation of analogous inhibitors of HIV-1 entry.

Pharmacological and immunohistochemical evidence for a functional nitric oxide synthase system in rat peritoneal eosinophils

Eosinophil migration in vivo is markedly attenuated in rats treated chronically with the NO synthase (NOS) inhibitor Nω-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (l-NAME). In this study, we investigated the existence of a NOS system in eosinophils. Our results demonstrated that rat peritoneal eosinophils strongly express both type II (30.2 ± 11.6% of counted cells) and type III (24.7 ± 7.4% of counted cells) NOS, as detected by immunohistochemistry using affinity purified mouse mAbs. Eosinophil migration in vitro was evaluated by using 48-well microchemotaxis chambers and the chemotactic agents used were N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (fMLP, 5 × 10−8 M) and leukotriene B4 (LTB4, 10−8 M). l-NAME (but not d-NAME) significantly inhibited the eosinophil migration induced by both fMLP (54% reduction for 1.0 mM; P < 0.05) and LTB4 (61% reduction for 1.0 mM; P < 0.05). In addition, the type II NOS inhibitor 2-amino-5,6-dihydro-6-methyl-4H-1,3-thiazine and the type I/II NOS inhibitor 1-(2-trifluoromethylphenyl) imidazole also markedly (P < 0.05) attenuated fMLP- (52% and 38% reduction for 1.0 mM, respectively) and LTB4- (52% and 51% reduction for 1.0 mM, respectively) induced migration. The inhibition of eosinophil migration by l-NAME was mimicked by the soluble guanylate cyclase inhibitor 1H-[1,2,4] oxadiazolo [4,3,-a] quinoxalin-1-one (0.01 and 0.1 mM) and reversed by either sodium nitroprusside (0.1 mM) or dibutyryl cyclic GMP (1 mM). We conclude that eosinophils do express NO synthase(s) and that nitric oxide plays an essential role in eosinophil locomotion by acting through a cyclic GMP transduction mechanism.