Permissive and protective roles for neutrophils in leishmaniasis.

Leishmania parasites are the causative agents of leishmaniasis, a neglected tropical disease that causes substantial morbidity and considerable mortality in many developing areas of the world. Recent estimates suggest that roughly 10 million people suffer from cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL), and approximately 76,000 are afflicted with visceral leishmaniasis (VL), which is universally fatal without treatment. Efforts to develop therapeutics and vaccines have been greatly hampered by an incomplete understanding of the parasite's biology and a lack of clear protective correlates that must be met in order to achieve immunity. Although parasites grow and divide preferentially in macrophages, a number of other cell types interact with and internalize Leishmania parasites, including monocytes, dendritic cells and neutrophils. Neutrophils appear to be especially important shortly after parasites are introduced into the skin, and may serve a dual protective and permissive role during the establishment of infection. Curiously, neutrophil recruitment to the site of infection appears to continue into the chronic phase of disease, which may persist for many years. The immunological impact of these cells during chronic leishmaniasis is unclear at this time. In this review we discuss the ways in which neutrophils have been observed to prevent and promote the establishment of infection, examine the role of anti-neutrophil antibodies in mouse models of leishmaniasis and consider recent findings that neutrophils may play a previously unrecognized role in influencing chronic parasite persistence.

Evaluation of amastigote reactive cells in human cutaneous leishmaniasis caused by Leishmania aethiopica.

Lymphoproliferative responses to three affinity chromatography purified amastigote antigens of Leishmania pifanoi, P-2, P-4 and P-8, were evaluated in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from patients with Ethiopian cutaneous leishmaniasis. Antigen-stimulated cells were analysed for the percentage of CD4+, CD8+ and CD16/56+ cells and the expressed levels of gamma interferon (IFNgamma) and interleukin (IL)-10 were determined in culture supernatants. The amastigote antigens induced cellular responses in leishmaniasis patients with heterologous Leishmania parasite infection. These responses were compared to those of freeze-thawed L. aethiopica promastigote antigen stimulation. The membrane protein (P-8), and to a lesser extent the megasomal/cytoplasmic cysteine proteinase(P-2), induced proliferation with high levels of IFNgamma and IL-10 production in cells from patients with active L. aethiopica lesions. CD16/56+ NK cells were the main cell types induced to proliferate in response to P-8 and P-2 stimulation, followed by CD8+ cell populations. P-4 had no such effect. This contrasts from previous studies of New World human leishmaniasis where P-4 and P-8 were stimulatory. The success of a particular molecule in the induction of a response with a protective phenotype may be dependent on the infecting Leishmania spp. To our knowledge, there are no studies that directly compare the New versus Old World cutaneous leishmaniasis in respect of NK cell and IL-10 responses. Our studies indicate that some leishmanial molecules are recognized across the species, while others are apparently more species specific.

Hepatitis C virus core and envelope proteins do not suppress the host's ability to clear a hepatic viral infection.

Several hepatitis C virus (HCV) proteins have been shown in vitro to interact with host cellular components that are involved in immune regulation. However, there is a paucity of data supporting the relevance of these observations to the in vivo situation. To test the hypothesis that such an interaction suppresses immune responses, we studied a line of transgenic C57BL/6 mice that express the HCV core and envelope proteins in the liver. The potential effects of these proteins on the hepatic immune response were evaluated by challenging these mice with a hepatotropic adenovirus. Both transgenic and nontransgenic mice developed similar courses of infection and cleared the virus from the liver by 28 days postinfection. Both groups of mice mounted similar immunoglobulin G (IgG), IgG2a, interleukin-2, and tumor necrosis factor alpha responses against the virus. Additionally, BALB/c mice were able to clear infection with recombinant adenovirus that does or does not express the HCV core and envelope 1 proteins in the same manner. These data suggest that HCV core and envelope proteins do not inhibit the hepatic antiviral mechanisms in these murine experimental systems and thus favor a model in which HCV circumvents host responses through a mechanism that does not involve general suppression of intrahepatic immune responses.

Transgenic expression of lymphotoxin restores lymph nodes to lymphotoxin-alpha-deficient mice.

Lymphotoxin-alpha (LT alpha) has recently been demonstrated to be important in the development of lymph nodes (LN), Peyer's patches, and splenic organization, including the development of germinal centers. To elucidate the role of LT alpha in lymphoid organogenesis and the plasticity of the process, we examined LT alpha-/- mice in which an LT alpha transgene under the control of the rat insulin promoter (RIPLT) is expressed in the pancreas, kidney, and skin. The LT alpha transgene restored LN in LT alpha-/- mice. The reconstituted LN of RIPLT.LT alpha-/- mice had germinal center-like peanut agglutinin-positive regions, but lacked follicular dendritic cells. Although the LT alpha transgene did not restore Peyer's patches or splenic architecture, it restored the ability of the spleen to form germinal centers and follicular dendritic cell networks. Lymphocytes isolated from the reconstituted LN showed normal proliferative responses to T and B cell mitogens and were defective in their proliferative response to T-dependent Ag, and a decreased number of interdigitating dendritic cells was apparent in the RIPLT.LT alpha-/- mice LN. Expression of the RIPLT transgene in mice deficient in LT beta did not reconstitute LN, suggesting an important role for LT beta in the mechanisms that reconstitute LN in RIPLT.LT alpha-/- mice. These data are the first to demonstrate reconstitution of LN in LT alpha-/- mice and show that the process of LN restoration is amenable to manipulation with ectopic lymphotoxin.

Purification and characterization of defensins from cystic fibrosis sputum.

OBJECTIVE AND DESIGN: Cystic fibrosis (CF) sputum contains large numbers of neutrophils whose most abundant granule proteins are defensins. Within phagolysosomes, defensins kill microbes; however, extracellular defensins can be toxic to human cells. To begin to explore the possibility that defensins damage CF airways, this study examines the concentration and properties of defensins in CF sputum. MATERIALS: As a source of biological material in which to assay levels of defensins, purulent sputum was collected from persons with CF hospitalized with exacerbations of bronchitis. Purulent CF sputum was also a source of material for purification of defensins. METHODS: Defensin concentration in the cell-free component of CF sputum was measured by immunoassay. Defensins acid-extracted from sputum were purified by Sephacryl S-200 gel filtration chromatography and reverse phase-high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC). Toxicity of CF defensins was tested by incubating the purified defensins with a line of CF tracheal cells cultured in serum five medium. RESULTS: In 5 patients with CF, sputum defensin levels ranged from 300 to > 1600 micrograms/ml, higher than levels previously reported in any human secretion or fluid and greatly exceeding concentrations toxic to mammalian cells in vitro. HPCL-purified CF sputum defensins were pure as judged by acid urea-PAGE and N-terminal sequencing, which revealed a mixture of defensins-1, -2 and -3 at ratios of approximately 4:2:1. At > 10 micrograms/ml the purified mixture was toxic for a line of CF tracheal cells cultured in serum-free medium, as judged by reductions in cell numbers and increased permeability to trypan blue. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that defensins in CF sputum are intact and sufficiently abundant that they may damage airway epithelium.

Leishmania-infected macrophages sequester endogenously synthesized parasite antigens from presentation to CD4+ T cells.

CD4+ T cell lines raised against the protective leishmanial antigens GP46 and P8 were used to study the presentation of endogenously synthesized Leishmania antigens by infected cells. Using two different sources of macrophages, the I4.07 macrophage cell line (H-2k) which constitutively expresses major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II molecules, and elicited peritoneal exudate cells, we found that cells infected with Leishmania amastigotes presented little, if any endogenously synthesized parasite antigens to CD4+ T cells. In contrast, promastigote-infected macrophages did present endogenous parasite molecules to CD4+ T cells, although only for a limited time, with maximal presentation occurring within 24 h of infection and decreasing to minimal antigen presentation at 72 h post-infection. These observations suggest that once within the macrophage, Leishmania amastigote antigens are sequestered from the MHC class II pathway of antigen presentation. This allows live parasites to persist in infected hosts by evading the activation of CD4+ T cells, a major and critical anti-leishmanial component of the host immune system. Studies with drugs that modify fusion patterns of phagosomes suggest that the mechanism of this antigen sequestration includes targeted fusion of the parasitophorous vacuole with certain endocytic compartments.

T-cell responsiveness of American cutaneous leishmaniasis patients to purified Leishmania pifanoi amastigote antigens and Leishmania braziliensis promastigote antigens: immunologic patterns associated with cure.

Patients suffering from American cutaneous leishmaniasis were studied before therapy (active lesion) and at the end of therapy (cured patients). Assays of lymphocyte proliferative responses of peripheral blood mononuclear cells induced in vitro by Leishmania braziliensis promastigote antigens (Lb) or by three proteins (A-2/P-2, P-4, and P-8) derived from Leishmania pifanoi amastigotes were performed. Antigen-stimulated cells were harvested for CD4 and CD8 phenotype analysis and the levels of gamma interferon (IFN-gamma), interleukin 2 (IL-2) and interleukin 4 (IL-4) produced were also determined. Results show two different patterns of Lb-induced T cell responses: (a) predominance of responding CD4+ cells and mixed type 1 and type 2 cytokine production (IFN-gamma, IL-2, and IL-4) during the active disease, (b) similar proportions of responding CD4+ and CD8+ cells and type 1 cytokine production (presence of IFN-gamma and IL-2 and very low IL-4) at the end of therapy (healed lesions). Thus, this last pattern is probably associated with a beneficial T cell response. The A-2/P-2 amastigote cysteine proteinase provided only marginal (s.i. approximately or = 2.5) T cell stimulation in 25% of patients studied; in contrast, the L. pifanoi P-4 and P-8 amastigote antigens induced significant stimulation (s.i. approximately or = 5) in approximately 50% of the patients. In comparison to Lb-stimulated cultures, lower proliferative responses of T lymphocytes to P-4 or P-8 were observed. However, the P-4- or P-8-stimulated cultures had similar percentages of reactive CD4+ and CD8+ cells, as well as type 1 cytokines (presence of IFN-gamma and IL-2, and low levels or absence of IL-4) in the supernatants both before and at the end of therapy. The consistent induction of apparently beneficial T cell responses by the P-4 and P-8 amastigote glycoproteins points to the possibility that these molecules be considered as candidates for future defined vaccines against leishmaniasis.

Disruption of CD40-CD40 ligand interactions results in an enhanced susceptibility to Leishmania amazonensis infection.

To study the role of CD40 ligand (CD40L) in the host immune responses against intracellular pathogens, we infected CD40L knockout (CD40L-/-) mice with Leishmania amazonensis. Although wild-type mice were susceptible to infection and developed progressive ulcerative lesions, tissue parasite burdens in CD40L-/- mice were significantly higher. This heightened susceptibility to infection was associated with an impaired T cell and macrophage activation and altered inflammatory response, as reflected by low levels of IFN gamma, lymphotoxin-tumor necrosis factor (LT-TNF), and nitric oxide (NO) production. Furthermore, CD40L-/- mice failed to generate a protective immune response after immunization. These results indicate an essential role of cognate CD40-CD40L interactions in the generation of cellular immune responses against an intracellular parasite.

Cloning and expression of a Leishmania donovani gene instructed by a peptide isolated from major histocompatibility complex class II molecules of infected macrophages.

The studies reported here describe the isolation of peptides from MHC class II molecules of murine macrophages infected with Leishmania donovani, and the use of the derived peptide sequences to rescue the pathogen peptide donor protein. The isolation of the peptides was carried out by comparing the RP HPLC profile of peptides extracted from infected macrophages with the peptides extracted from noninfected cells. Several distinct HPLC peaks unique to infected macrophages were sequenced. One of the peptides that was not homologous to any known protein was used to instruct the designing of an oligonucleotide sense primer that was used in combination with an oligo dT nucleotide (anti-sense primer) to amplify by PCR a DNA fragment from L. donovani cDNA. The amplified DNA fragment was cloned and used as a probe to screen a L. donovani cDNA library. The cloned gene (Ld peptide gene) has an open reading frame of 525 bp and has no homology with any known protein/gene sequence. Northern blot analyses indicated that the Ld peptide/gene is broadly distributed and expressed among species of the Leishmania genus, in both the amastigote and promastigote life cycle forms. Using the pGEX 2T vector, the gene was expressed and the relationship of the purified recombinant protein with L. donovani was confirmed using both antibody and T cell responses from immunized or infected animals. The gene encodes a 23-kD molecule (Ldp 23) associated with the cell surface of L. donovani promastigotes. In addition, T cells purified from the lymph nodes of BALB/c mice immunized with L. donovani or infected with L. major, and from CBA/J mice infected with L. amazonensis were stimulated to proliferate by the recombinant Ldp 23 and produced high levels of IFN-gamma and no IL 4. This observation suggests that the Ldp 23 is an interesting parasite molecule for the studies concerning the host/parasite interaction because the Th1 pattern of cytokine response that it induces is correlated with resistance to Leishmania infections. These results clearly point to an alternative strategy for the purification of proteins useful for the development of both vaccines and immunological diagnostic tools not only against leishmaniasis but also for other diseases caused by intracellular pathogens.

Selective suppressive effects of Trypanosoma cruzi infection on IL-2, c-myc, and c-fos gene expression.

Infection with Trypanosoma cruzi is accompanied by a profound suppression of immune responses including the production of IL-2. Previous experiments have confirmed a correlated decrease in IL-2 mRNA levels in lymphoid cells from infected mice. To further define the molecular basis of this regulation, we have examined the production and degradation of mRNA for IL-2 and other T cell activation genes in cells from T. cruzi-infected mice. Spleen cells from C57BL/6J mice infected with the Brazil strain of T. cruzi were analyzed for the kinetic expression of IL-2, IL-2R alpha, c-myc, and c-fos genes in response to Con A and PMA costimulation. Cells from infected mice exhibited a selective reduction of c-myc and c-fos mRNA in association with the severe suppression of the IL-2 gene, but a less severe to comparable production of IL-2R alpha mRNA compared with normal spleen cells. The similar patterns of the suppression of c-myc and IL-2 mRNA suggest a common mechanism of down-regulation of these two genes in T. cruzi infection. Actinomycin D treatment was used to demonstrate that decreased steady state levels of IL-2, c-myc, and c-fos mRNA in cells from infected mice were not due to an increased rate of degradation of these mRNA. Cycloheximide treatment enhanced the expression of IL-2, IL-2R alpha, c-myc, and c-fos mRNA in spleen cells from both normal and infected mice. Although a larger percentage of induction was observed in cells from infected mice, the mRNA levels for IL-2, c-myc, and c-fos in cells from infected mice were still lower than those of normal cells. Spleen cells from infected mice precultured for 24 to 72 h before the addition of mitogens showed significant enhancement of IL-2 and c-myc gene expression; however, this recovery was inhibited if fixed T. cruzi was present in the preculture medium. These data suggest that the reduction of IL-2 mRNA in infected mice is not the result of an increased degradation of its mRNA but to down-regulation of transcription of the IL-2 gene in T cells from T. cruzi-infected mice. Preculture-induced recovery of IL-2 production appears to result from release from this regulation and full expression of the IL-2 gene.

Magnetic resonance spectroscopy and ambulatory cardiovascular monitoring noninvasively gauge timing of phosphate metabolism and circulation.

Circadian changes in high-energy phosphate metabolism of the human forearm and the relative independence of these metabolic changes from the circulation were noninvasively demonstrated and quantified by combining nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), ambulatory blood pressure and heart rate monitoring and chronobiologic time series analysis.

Obligatory free radical intermediate in the oxidative activation of the carcinogen N-hydroxy-2-acetylaminofluorene.

We have demonstrated that the nitroxyl free radical form of the carcinogen N-hydroxy-2-acetylaminofluorene (OH-AAF) is an obligatory intermediate in the cumene hydroperoxide-hematin-induced oxidative activation of this carcinogen into 2-nitrosofluorene and N-acetoxy-2-acetylaminofluorene. Both the rate of N-OH-acetylaminofluorene oxidation and the amount of its nitroxyl free radical were experimentally observed as a function of reaction time. Rate equations were derived for a model in which the nitroxyl free radical form of OH-AAF was an obligatory intermediate in the reaction. Using this theory it was possible to compute one experimental variable, the rate of OH-AAF oxidation, utilizing the other experimental variable, the amount of nitroxyl free radical present at any time during the reaction. The theory also predicts a linear relationship between the rate of OH-AAF oxidation and the square of the free radical content; and this was found to be true experimentally. The dismutation rate constant of the nitroxyl free radical of OH-AAF was found to be 2.7-10(5) M-1-s-1.

Circadian rhythms in polyamine excretion by rats bearing an immunocytoma.

Large-amplitude circadian rhythms were observed in the urinary excretion of polyamines by rats bearing an immunocytoma. Control animals excreted polyamines at a lower rate but also with marked circadian variation. In confirmation of earlier observations, light-chain excretion by the tumor-bearing rats also exhibited a circadian rhythm, superimposed on an increasing trend. The potential of these rhythms as markers for the chronotherapy of cancer is noted.

Lipid hydroperoxide activation of N-hydroxy-N-acetylaminofluorene via a free radical route.

The data presented here demonstrate that linoleic acid hydroperoxide in the presence of methemoglobin or hematin activated the carcinogen N-hydroxy-N-acetyl-2-amino-fluorene via the nitroxyl free radical intermediate into 2-nitrosofluorene and N-acetoxy-N-acetyl-2-aminofluorene. Ascorbate inhibited the activation, in which case the free radical intermediate was replaced by the ascorbate free radical. On the basis of optical kinetics, we have established that the rate of linoleic acid hydroperoxide decrease paraleled the rate of N-hydroxy-N-acetyl-2-aminofluorene decrease and also the rate of 2-nitrosofluorene increase. The stoichiometry of the reaction was such that, for every 2 linoleic acid hydroperoxide molecules consumed, 2 N-hydroxy-N-acetyl-2-aminofluorene molecules were oxidized and 1 2-nitrosofluorene and 1 N-acetoxy-N-acetyl-2 aminofluorene molecule was formed.

Horseradish peroxidase/hydrogen peroxide-catalyzed oxidation of the carcinogen N-hydroxy-N-acetyl-2-aminofluorene as effected by cyanide and ascorbate.

Horseradish peroxidase and H2O2 mediate N-hydroxy-N-acetyl-2-aminofluorene (N-OH-AAF) conversion into two more potent carcinogens, 2-nitrosofluorene and N-acetoxy-N-acetyl-2-aminofluorene. Optical studies of this system indicate that horseradish peroxidase is operating as a peroxidase with N-OH-AAF as the electron donor. Our studies confirm the earlier finding that 2-nitrosofluorene and N-acetoxy-N-acetyl-2-aminofluorene are the products of the type II enzyme-mediated oxidation of N-OH-AAF, but surprisingly, the results with the type VI enzyme indicate that more 2-nitrosofluorene was formed and, in addition, another product absorbing at 245 nm was formed. If ascorbate is present in the N-OH-AAF/horseradish peroxidase/H2O2 system, ascorbate is oxidized preferentially. Cyanide, a known inhibitor of the peroxidase, does not inhibit when N-OH-AAF is the electron donor. The reaction products are the same in the presence or absence of cyanide.