Acquisition of murine major histocompatibility complex gene products by schistosomula of Schistosoma mansoni.

Schistosoma mansoni schistosomula recovered from the lungs of inbred mice were shown to possess serologically detectable alloantigens on their tegumental surfaces. Using appropriate antisera and infected congenic and recombinant mice as worm donors, gene products of the K and I subregions of the major histocompatibility complex were demonstrated among these alloantigens acquired by the parasites. In contrast, other cell surface alloantigens, such as Thy 1, Ly 1, and H-Y and the serum proteins albumin, C3 and Ig, could not be detected on the surface of lung schistosomula by means of comparable techniques. In another series of experiments, schistosomula recovered from the lungs of mice and reinjected into allogeneic recipients were shown to exchange their alloantigens during an 87-h period of examination. Similarly, lung schistosomula cocultured with allogeneic lymphocytes were shown to acquire major histocompatibility complex (MHC) coded antigens from the cells. It is possible that as acquired host molecules, MHC gene products may disguise the surface of schistosome parasites thereby rendering them insusceptible to immune attack.

Enhancement of the intensity, persistence, and passive transfer of delayed-type hypersensitivity lesions by pertussigen in mice.

Pertussigen, a purified protein from Bordetella pertussis, was shown to increase delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) to protein antigens in mice. First, it caused an approximately twofold enhancement of the magnitude of 24-h DTH reactions. Second, the peak magnitude of DTH was delayed to 4-7 d after challenge, at which time it was five times more intense than in mice not receiving pertussigen. This reaction was antigen specific, and histologically was characterized by a dense mononuclear infiltrate. Third, pertussigen prolonged DTH so that it was still detectable 3-6 wk after challenge. The effect of pertussigen was seen only in antigen-driven reactions and was time and dose dependent, with 400 ng given 3 d after immunization resulting in the most prolonged reaction. The administration of pertussigen to the recipients of sensitized lymph node cells resulted in DTH that was more intense and prolonged than the reactions in control mice. Administration of pertussigen provides a model of prolonged and enhanced T cell-dependent inflammatory responses.

Enhancement of human blood eosinophil cytotoxicity by semi-purified eosinophil colony-stimulating factor(s).

Purified human blood eosinophils, when incubated in human placental conditioned medium (a source of colony-stimulating factors) [CSF]) demonstrate an enhanced ability to damage antibody- or complement-coated schistosomula. This enhancement represents a 4- to 10-fold increase of eosinophil schistosomicidal ability and a 10-fold lowering of the threshold for antibody or complement required in the killing reaction. The activity that enhances eosinophil cytotoxicity and the eosinophil colony-stimulating activity in the placental conditioned medium are eluted in the same fraction (CSF-alpha) after chromatography on Sephadex G-100 and phenyl-Sepharose columns, suggesting that these two activities might be associated with the same molecule. CSF-alpha enhances the adherence step of the killing reaction: antibody-coated larvae were frequently found covered by several layers of eosinophils in tubes containing CSF-alpha. Such a degree of adherence was rarely seen in control tubes lacking CSF-alpha. This enhancement of the eosinophil adherence is detectable 45-60 min after addition of CSF-alpha to the culture. It is not affected by washing the cells after a short time of preincubation with CSF-alpha, and it occurs in the absence of protein synthesis, whereas colony-stimulating activity requires continuous protein synthesis and ceases when CSF is removed from the culture. Finally, CSF-alpha enhances the temperature-dependent reaction that insures the irreversibility of eosinophil attachment to schistosomula. These observations suggest that eosinopoietic factors could be responsible for some of the modified properties of blood eosinophils in eosinophilic individuals.

Histocompatibility linked immune responsiveness and restrictions imposed on sensitized lymphocytes.

Delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) transfer to GAT was restricted by the I-A region of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC). Sensitized cells from F1 hybrid mice between responder and nonresponder strains transferred DTH to syngeneic F1 mice and to naive parental strain recipients of the responder but not of the nonresponder haplotypes. These results are interpreted to favor the postulate that the MHC-linked Ir genes exert their effects by coding for components which allow interactions between particular I region gene products and the region to form stable structures immunogenic for DTH T cells.

Murine eosinophil differentiation factor. An eosinophil-specific colony-stimulating factor with activity for human cells.

A purified murine lymphokine, eosinophil differentiation factor (EDF), was found to be a selective stimulus for the clonal proliferation and differentiation of murine eosinophil progenitor cells, establishing it as the murine eosinophil colony-stimulating factor (Eo-CSF). EDF was also active on human eosinophil progenitors and mature blood eosinophils, but had no effect on neutrophil or macrophage precursor cells, nor on blood neutrophils. In culture of human bone marrow cells, EDF stimulated equal numbers and equal sizes of eosinophil colonies to develop when compared with human placental conditioned medium, a source of human CSFs, suggesting that all responsive progenitor cells were stimulated. Clone transfer experiments and the linear relationship between number of bone marrow cells plated and colonies produced confirmed that the action of EDF was directly on eosinophil progenitor cells. EDF increased the capacity of human blood eosinophils, but not neutrophils, to kill antibody-coated tumor cells and to phagocytose serum-opsonized yeast cells. This functional activation was associated with the enhanced expression of functional antigens (GFA-1, GFA-2, and the receptor for C3bi) on eosinophils. The possession by EDF (Eo-CSF) of all the properties expected of a human eosinophil CSF raises the possibility that a human analog of this molecule exists, and is involved in the regulation of production and function of human eosinophils in vivo.

Recombinant human interleukin 5 is a selective activator of human eosinophil function.

Human rIL-5 was found to selectively stimulate morphological changes and the function of human eosinophils. This molecule is thus a prime candidate for the selective eosinophilia and eosinophil activation seen in disease.

Interactions between human eosinophils and schistosomula of Schistosoma mansoni. II. The mechanism of irreversible eosinophil adherence.

Previous work (1)(1) has shown that normal human eosinophils show a preferential capacity, in comparison with neutrophils, to bind to antibody- coated schistosomula of Schistosoma mansoni. This effect is attributable to a temperature-dependent function of the eosinophil which renders its binding stable and irreversible by aggregated gamma globulin or Staphylococcus aureus protein A. In contrast, the binding of neutrophils is readily reversible by these agents. It has now been shown that the differences observed between eosinophils and neutrophils is a property of their interaction with living schistosomula. When dead or artificially damaged schistosomula were tested, neutrophils showed a markedly enhanced capacity to adhere, in both the presence and absence of anti-chistosomular serum. Subsequent experiments were designed to test the hypothesis that the strong, stable binding of eosinophils was attributable to degranulation, with release of granule contents which would then serve as ligands to bind the cell to the organism. First, an enhanced adherence both of eosinophils and of neutrophils could be demonstrated in the presence of eosinophil major basic protein (MBP) or of protamine, a high molecular weight cation. Second, the binding of eosinophils induced by concanavalin A (Con A) was found to differ markedly from that induced by antischistosomular serum. Con A-mediated binding of eosinophils was fully reversible by alpha-methyl-mannoside, was not associated with damage to the organism, and did not lead to degranulation of the cell, as estimated by measuring the release of MBP into the culture supernate. However, induction of degranulation of concanavalin A-bound eosinophils, but not of neutrophils, with the calcium ionophore A23187 converted the reaction into one which was no longer reversible by alpha- methylmannoside and in which damage to the organism now did occur. These findings support the hypothesis that the stable binding of eosinophils is associated with degranulation, a process which may contribute to the preferential capacity of this cell to mediate antibody-dependent damage to schistosomula.

Characterization of GMP-140 (P-selectin) as a circulating plasma protein.

GMP-140 is a 140-kD granule membrane protein, found in the alpha granules of platelets and the Weibel-Palade bodies of endothelial cells, that is surface expressed on cell activation and mediates neutrophil attachment. Cloning data for GMP-140 from an endothelial library predict a soluble form of the protein, the transcription message for which is also found in platelets. In this study, we report the detection by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay of soluble GMP-140 in plasma centrifuged for 3 h at 100,000 g (to remove platelet microparticles) and confirm its identity by purification from plasma. Plasma concentrations were found to be 0.251 +/- 0.043 micrograms/ml (means +/- SD, n = 10) in normal male controls and 0.175 +/- 0.063 micrograms/ml (means +/- SD, n = 10) in normal female controls. The purified protein had an identical molecular mass (nonreduced) to platelet membrane GMP-140 (approximately 3 kD lower, reduced) and was immunoblotted by polyclonal anti-GMP-140, and the anti-GMP-140 monoclonal antibodies AK4 and AK6. Analytical gel filtration studies indicated that the plasma GMP-140 eluted as a monomer whereas detergent-free, platelet membrane GMP-140 eluted as a tetramer consistent with plasma GMP-140 lacking a transmembrane domain. Purified plasma GMP-140 bound to the same neutrophil receptor as the membrane-bound form, and when immobilized on plastic, bound neutrophils equivalently to immobilized platelet membrane GMP-140. Since it has been shown that fluid-phase GMP-140 is antiinflammatory and downregulates CD18-dependent neutrophil adhesion and respiratory burst, its presence in plasma may be of major importance in preventing the inadvertent activation of neutrophils in the circulation.

Ly and Ia antigen phenotypes of T cells involved in delayed-type hypersensitivity and in suppression.

The Ly and Ia phenotypes of T lymphocytes involved in different functions were characterized by the use of specific antisera. T cells responsible for delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) and for helper functions were found to be Ly-1+,2- in contrast to cytotoxic T cells and T cells responsible for suppression of antibody responses which were Ly-1-,2+. Unlike some primed helper cells, T cells involved in DTH were Ia-. Suppressor cells in the system were Ia+.

Regulation of in vitro capillary tube formation by anti-integrin antibodies.

Human endothelial cells are induced to form an anastomosing network of capillary tubes on a gel of collagen I in the presence of PMA. We show here that the addition of mAbs, AK7, or RMAC11 directed to the alpha chain of the major collagen receptor on endothelial cells, the integrin alpha 2 beta 1, enhance the number, length, and width of capillary tubes formed by endothelial cells derived from umbilical vein or neonatal foreskins. The anti-alpha 2 beta 1 antibodies maintained the endothelial cells in a rounded morphology and inhibited both their attachment to and proliferation on collagen but not on fibronectin, laminin, or gelatin matrices. Furthermore, RMAC11 promoted tube formation in collagen gels of increased density which in the absence of RMAC11 did not allow tube formation. Neither RMAC11 or AK7 enhanced capillary formation in the absence of PMA. Lumen structure and size were also altered by antibody RMAC11. In the absence of antibody the majority of lumina were formed intracellularly from single cells, but in the presence of RMAC11, multiple cells were involved and the lumen size was correspondingly increased. Endothelial cells were also induced to undergo capillary formation in fibrin gels after PMA stimulation. The addition of anti-alpha v beta 3 antibodies promoted tube formation in fibrin gels and inhibited EC adhesion to and proliferation on a fibrinogen matrix. The enhancement of capillary formation by the anti-integrin antibodies was matrix specific; that is, anti-alpha v beta 3 antibodies only enhanced tube formation on fibrin gels and not on collagen gels while anti-alpha v beta 1 antibodies only enhanced tubes on collagen and not on fibrin gels. Thus we postulate that changes in the adhesive nature of endothelial cells for their extracellular matrix can profoundly effect their function. Anti-integrin antibodies which inhibit cell-matrix interactions convert endothelial cells from a proliferative phenotype towards differentiation which results in enhanced capillary tube formation.

Synergism between membrane gangliosides and Arg-Gly-Asp-directed glycoprotein receptors in attachment to matrix proteins by melanoma cells.

The identification of specific cell surface glycoprotein receptors for Arg-Gly-Asp-containing extracellular matrix proteins such as fibronectin has focused attention on the role of gangliosides in this process. Is their involvement dependent or independent of the protein receptors? In attachment assays with cells from a human melanoma cell line, titration experiments with an antibody (Mel 3) with specificity for the disialogangliosides GD2 and GD3, used together with a synthetic peptide containing the cell binding sequence Arg-Gly-Asp, show that their joint effect is synergistic. Both the Mel 3 antibody and the synthetic peptide individually cause rapid detachment of melanoma cells from fibronectin substrate but, when used together, much smaller concentrations of both are required to achieve the same effect. The Mel 3 antibody was not nonspecifically reducing receptor binding to the Arg-Gly-Asp sequence since, in binding assays with radiolabeled peptide performed with cells in suspension, very little peptide is bound by the melanoma cells under these conditions but addition of Mel 3, an antibody of IgM isotype, causes a two- to threefold increase in specific binding. The simplest interpretation of these data is that the Mel 3 antibody is causing sufficient clustering of membrane gangliosides in local areas and producing a favorably charged environment to facilitate peptide binding by specific glycoprotein receptors.

Endothelial adhesiveness for blood neutrophils is inhibited by transforming growth factor-beta.

Adhesion of blood cells to endothelial cells is an essential component of all inflammatory responses. The capacity of the endothelium to support adhesion of neutrophils is increased by cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin-1, and endotoxin. Another cytokine, transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta), was a strong inhibitor of basalneutrophil adhesion and also decreased the adhesive response of endothelial cells to tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha). The ability of cells to respond to TGF-beta was related to the duration of culture of endothelial cells after explantation from umbilical veins. TGF-beta is likely to serve an anti-inflammatory role at sites of blood vessel injury undergoing active endothelial regeneration.

Prevention of activated neutrophil adhesion to endothelium by soluble adhesion protein GMP140.

Neutrophils and monocytes, but not lymphocytes, adhered strongly to plastic surfaces coated with GMP140, a protein of endothelial cells and platelets. This adhesion of neutrophils was mediated by GMP140 and not by the CD18 integrin complex. By contrast, GMP140 in solution inhibited the CD18-dependent adhesion of tumor necrosis factor-alpha-activated neutrophils to plastic surfaces and resting endothelium, but not of resting neutrophils to tumor necrosis factor-alpha-activated endothelium. Thus, the binding of a soluble form of an adhesion protein selectively inhibited another set of adhesive events. Soluble GMP140 may be important in maintaining the nonadhesiveness of neutrophils in the circulation and may serve to limit inflammatory reactions.

An oncogenic role of sphingosine kinase.

Sphingosine kinase (SphK) is a highly conserved lipid kinase that phosphorylates sphingosine to form sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P). S1P/SphK has been implicated as a signalling pathway to regulate diverse cellular functions [1-3], including cell growth, proliferation and survival [4-8]. We report that cells overexpressing SphK have increased enzymatic activity and acquire the transformed phenotype, as determined by focus formation, colony growth in soft agar and the ability to form tumours in NOD/SCID mice. This is the first demonstration that a wild-type lipid kinase gene acts as an oncogene. Using a chemical inhibitor of SphK, or an SphK mutant that inhibits enzyme activation, we found that SphK activity is involved in oncogenic H-Ras-mediated transformation, suggesting a novel signalling pathway for Ras activation. The findings not only point to a new signalling pathway in transformation but also to the potential of SphK inhibitors in cancer therapy.

Recombinant human tumor necrosis factor-alpha. Regulation of N-formylmethionylleucylphenylalanine receptor affinity and function on human neutrophils.

Preincubation of neutrophils with recombinant human tumor necrosis factor-alpha (rH TNF-alpha) enhanced the subsequent release of superoxide anion in response to various concentrations of N-formylmethionylleucylphenylalanine (FMLP). Enhanced superoxide anion production was evident by 5 min and had reached a plateau by 15 min. Not only was the total amount of superoxide anion released greater, but the rate of release was also enhanced threefold by rH TNF-alpha. In contrast, rH TNF-alpha reduced or abolished neutrophil locomotion under agarose in response to a gradient of FMLP. Binding studies of f-Met-Leu-[3H]Phe to purified human neutrophils revealed a heterogeneous binding to unstimulated cells. The high affinity component consisted of approximately 2,000 sites per cell and had an average Kd of 2 +/- 0.7 nM (n = 4). The low affinity component consisted of approximately 40,000 sites per cell and had an average Kd of 180 +/- 50 nM (n = 4). rH TNF-alpha caused conversion to a linear Scatchard plot showing no significant change in total binding sites but a single Kd of 40 +/- 10 nM (n = 4). These data indicate that rH TNF-alpha may influence neutrophil responses to FMLP by regulating the affinity of FMLP receptors.

Dysregulated hematopoiesis and a progressive neurological disorder induced by expression of an activated form of the human common beta chain in transgenic mice.

Previously we described activating mutations of hbetac, the common signaling subunit of the receptors for the hematopoietic and inflammatory cytokines, GM-CSF, IL-3, and IL-5. The activated mutant, hbetacFIDelta, is able to confer growth factor-independent proliferation on the murine myeloid cell line FDC-P1, and on primary committed myeloid progenitors. We have used this activating mutation to study the effects of chronic cytokine receptor stimulation. Transgenic mice were produced carrying the hbetacFIDelta cDNA linked to the constitutive promoter derived from the phosphoglycerate kinase gene, PGK-1. Transgene expression was demonstrated in several tissues and functional activity of the mutant receptor was confirmed in hematopoietic tissues by the presence of granulocyte macrophage and macrophage colony-forming cells (CFU-GM and CFU-M) in the absence of added cytokines. All transgenic mice display a myeloproliferative disorder characterized by splenomegaly, erythrocytosis, and granulocytic and megakaryocytic hyperplasia. This disorder resembles the human disease polycythemia vera, suggesting that activating mutations in hbetac may play a role in the pathogenesis of this myeloproliferative disorder. In addition, these transgenic mice develop a sporadic, progressive neurological disease and display bilateral, symmetrical foci of necrosis in the white matter of brain stem associated with an accumulation of macrophages. Thus, chronic hbetac activation has the potential to contribute to pathological events in the central nervous system.

Recombinant human granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor stimulates in vitro mature human neutrophil and eosinophil function, surface receptor expression, and survival.

A purified recombinant human granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (rH GM-CSF) was a powerful stimulator of mature human eosinophils and neutrophils. The purified rH GM-CSF enhanced the cytotoxic activity of neutrophils and eosinophils against antibody-coated targets, stimulated phagocytosis of serum-opsonized yeast by both cell types in a dose-dependent manner, and stimulated neutrophil-mediated iodination in the presence of zymosan. In addition, rH GM-CSF enhanced N-formylmethionylleucylphenylalanine(FMLP)-stimulated degranulation of Cytochalasin B pretreated neutrophils and FMLP-stimulated superoxide production. In contrast, rH GM-CSF did not promote adherence of granulocytes to endothelial cells or plastic surfaces. rH GM-CSF selectively enhanced the surface expression of granulocyte functional antigens 1 and 2, and the Mo1 antigen. rH GM-CSF induced morphological changes and enhanced the survival of both neutrophils and eosinophils by 6 and 9 h, respectively. These experiments show that granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor can selectively stimulate mature granulocyte function.

Role of colony-stimulating factors in leucocyte responses to inflammation and infection.

Colony-stimulating factors play an important role in the function of mature blood cells and the promotion of their survival. There is increasing evidence to suggest that these factors participate in inflammatory reactions and in responses to infection.

Human granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor enhancer function is associated with cooperative interactions between AP-1 and NFATp/c.

The promoter of the human granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor gene is regulated by an inducible upstream enhancer. The enhancer encompasses three previously defined binding sites for the transcription factor NFAT (GM170, GM330, and GM550) and a novel NFAT site defined here as the GM420 element. While there was considerable redundancy within the enhancer, the GM330, GM420, and GM550 motifs each functioned efficiently in isolation as enhancer elements and bound NFATp and AP-1 in a highly cooperative fashion. These three NFAT sites closely resembled the distal interleukin-2 NFAT site, and methylation interference assays further defined GGA(N)9TCA as a minimum consensus sequence for this family of NFAT sites. By contrast, the GM170 site, which also had conserved GGA and TCA motifs but in which these motifs were separated by 15 bases, supported strong independent but no cooperative binding of AP-1 and NFATp, and this site functioned poorly as an enhancer element. While both the GM330 and GM420 elements were closely associated with the inducible DNase I-hypersensitive site within the enhancer, the GM420 element was the only NFAT site located within a 160-bp HincII-BalI fragment defined by deletion analysis as the essential core of the enhancer. The GM420 element was unusual, however, in containing a high-affinity NFATp/c-binding sequence (TGGAAAGA) immediately upstream of the sequence TGACATCA which more closely resembled a cyclic AMP response-like element than an AP-1 site. We suggest that the cooperative binding of NFATp/c and AP-1 requires a particular spacing of sites and that their cooperativity and induction via independent pathways ensure very tight regulation of the granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor enhancer.

A novel tumor necrosis factor-responsive transcription factor which recognizes a regulatory element in hemopoietic growth factor genes.

A conserved DNA sequence element, termed cytokine 1 (CK-1), is found in the promoter regions of many hemopoietic growth factor (HGF) genes. Mutational analyses and modification interference experiments show that this sequence specifically binds a nuclear transcription factor, NF-GMa, which is a protein with a molecular mass of 43 kilodaltons. It interacts with different affinities with the CK-1-like sequence from a number of HGF genes, including granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), granulocyte (G)-CSF, interleukin 3 (IL-3), and IL-5. We show here that the level of NF-GMa binding is induced in embryonic fibroblasts by tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) treatment and that the CK-1 sequence from the G-CSF gene is a TNF-alpha-responsive enhancer in these cells. The NF-GMa protein is distinct from another TNF-alpha-responsive transcription factor, NF-kappa B, by several criteria. Firstly, several NF-kappa B-binding sites, although having sequence similarity with the CK-1 sequence, cannot compete efficiently for NF-GMa binding to CK-1. Secondly, the CK-1 sequence from both G-CSF and GM-CSF does not respond to phorbol ester treatment as would an NF-kappa B-binding element. These results demonstrate that NF-GMa is a novel transcription factor inducible by TNF-alpha and binds to a common element in HGF gene promoters.