Critical but divergent roles for CD62L and CD44 in directing blood monocyte trafficking in vivo during inflammation.

Using noninvasive in vivo imaging and experimental autoimmune uveoretinitis as a model, we show for the first time that the mechanisms controlling blood monocyte recirculation through peripheral and lymphoid tissues alter during inflammation. The recirculation of monocytes in mice with ocular inflammation but not controls was found to depend on the selectin CD62-ligand (CD62L) and on CD44. Not only was rolling efficiency ablated or markedly reduced in antibody-treated mice, but most of the labeled monocytes also disappeared from the circulation within seconds, anti-CD44-treated monocytes homing to the lymph nodes and anti-CD62L-treated monocytes homing to the spleen. Our data indicate that, although PSGL-1 has a partial role in the transmigration of monocytes into the inflamed retina, CD62L has a key role in regulating recruitment of monocytes to lymphoid tissue from the blood during inflammation and that CD44 is required to maintain CD62L(+) inflammatory monocytes within the circulation during inflammation. This effect was systemic, because sequestered monocytes accumulated in mesenteric as well as draining cervical lymph nodes, and inflammation dependent, because depletion of circulating blood monocytes was much reduced or absent in normal mice and accumulations of adoptively transferred monocytes in the lymphoid tissues did not occur.

Leukocyte extravasation: an immunoregulatory role for alpha-L-fucosidase?

Fucosylated oligosaccharides and glycoconjugates have been implicated in several biological events, including the cell-cell adhesion processes that mediate inflammation. Alpha-L-fucosidase (ALF) is an exoglycosidase that is involved in the hydrolytic degradation of alpha-L-fucose from glycoconjugates. In this study, we investigated the potential role of ALF in regulation of leukocyte migration. Measurement of transendothelial migration in response to CCL5 demonstrated that pretreatment of monocytic cells with ALF reduced migration (p = 0.0004) to a greater extent than treatment of the endothelial monolayer (p = 0.0374). Treatment with ALF significantly reduced the adhesion of monocytic cells to immobilized P-selectin.Fc. A murine model of experimental autoimmune uveitis was then used to show that treatment of splenic cells with ALF produced an 8.6-fold decrease in rolling and a 3.2-fold decrease in cell migration across the retinal vasculature. Further in vitro studies demonstrated that treatment of monocytes with the chemokines CCL3 or CCL5 increased the level of mRNA encoding ALF; this was accompanied by the detection of significant increases in both the 51- and 56-kDa components of ALF by Western blotting. Treatment of monocytic cells with ALF for 2 h significantly reduced the cell surface expression of CD31, with a further decrease in expression observed after 5 h (p = 0.002). Thus, CD31 and fucosylated ligands of P-selectin seem to be the candidates through which ALF mediates its effect in vitro. These data identify a previously unrecognized immunoregulatory role for ALF in late stages of inflammation.

CX3CR1-deficiency is associated with increased severity of disease in experimental autoimmune uveitis.

The role of CX3CR1 in regulating the function of monocytes and microglia was examined in mice in which CX3CR1 had been replaced by green fluorescent protein (GFP). Induction of experimental autoimmune uveitis (EAU) in these mice resulted in increased disease severity at day 23 postimmunization with uveitogenic peptide when compared with CX3CR1-positive mice and increased apoptosis of neuronal cells in the inner nuclear layer. Resident microglia within the retina were activated equally as EAU developed in mice with or without CX3CR1, as determined by changes in morphology, suggesting that the microglial cell response did not account for the differences. Although the inflammatory infiltrate had increased in mice without CX3CR1 at day 23 postimmunization, the percentage of natural killer cells in the infiltrate was not changed in these mice. Similarly, increased disease severity at this stage was not associated with an overall increased percentage of macrophages in the retinal inflammatory infiltrate or in increased activation of these cells. The increased recruitment of monocytes to the retina in response to EAU induction in CX3CR1(GFP/GFP) mice compared with CX3CR1(GFP/+) mice was not reflected in increased migration away from vessels, leading to marked clustering of GFP(+) cells around veins and venules in these mice. It is possible that this monocyte/macrophage clustering leads to the increased severity of disease seen in the mice by focusing and so intensifying the inflammatory response.

Differential expression of CCR2 and CX3CR1 on CD16+ monocyte subsets is associated with asthma severity.

BACKGROUND: Monocytes play an important role in immune and inflammatory diseases and monocyte subsets are predictors of disease in certain conditions. Expression of the chemokine receptors, CCR2 and CX3CR1 on monocyte subsets relates to their function and can be used in their characterization. Our objective was to determine whether CD14, CD16, CCR2 and CX3CR1 on monocyte subsets are potential indicators of asthma severity. METHODS: Blood samples were collected from Saudi Arabian patients with asthma and normal healthy individuals. Six-color flow-cytometry phenotypic analysis was used to identify human blood monocyte subsets, based on their expression of CD14 and CD16 following CD45 gating. Expression of CCR2 and CX3CR1 was analysed on classical (CD14++CD16-), intermediate (CD14++CD16+) and non-classical (CD14+CD16++) subsets and correlated with disease severity. RESULTS: We demonstrated a significant increase in percentage of total CD45-positive monocytes in the blood of patients with severe asthma, but the proportion of the individual monocyte subsets was not significantly changed when patients with mild, moderate and severe asthma were compared with healthy individuals. CD16 expression (mean fluorescence intensity, MFI) was decreased on intermediate and non-classical subsets in patients with severe asthma compared to healthy controls. CX3CR1 expression was also lower, with a lower percentage of cells expressing CX3CR1 in the non-classical CD14+CD16++ subset in all patients with asthma and this was inversely related to the percentage of cells expressing CCR2. CONCLUSIONS: CCR2 expression on monocytes indicated a tendency toward more phagocytic monocytes in patients with asthma. The differential expression of CD16, CX3CR1 and CCR2 on monocyte subsets in peripheral blood indicates modulation of the inflammatory response and suggests a role for monocytes in asthma pathogenesis.

Gene expression data analysis identifies multiple deregulated pathways in patients with asthma.

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disorder associated with airway hyper-responsiveness. Although a number of studies have investigated asthma at the molecular level, the molecular immune signatures associated with asthma severity or with the response to corticosteroids are still being unraveled. The present study integrated four asthma-related gene expression datasets from the Gene Expression Omnibus and identified immune-gene signatures associated with asthma development, severity, or response to treatment. Normal and mild asthmatic patients clustered separately from the severe asthma group, suggesting substantial progression-related changes in gene expression. Pathway analysis of up-regulated severe asthma-related genes identified multiple cellular processes, such as polymorphism, T-cell development, and transforming growth factor-ß signaling. Comparing gene expression profiles of bronchoalveolar lavage cells in response to corticosteroid treatment, showed substantial reductions in genes related to the inflammatory response, including tumor necrosis factor signaling in the corticosteroid sensitive versus resistant patients, suggesting a defective immune response to corticosteroids. The data highlight the multifactorial nature of asthma, but revealed no significant overlap with the gene expression profiles from different datasets interrogated in current studies. The presented profile suggests that genes involved in asthma progression are different from those involved in the response to corticosteroids and this could affect the clinical management of different groups of patients with asthma.

Involvement of CCR5 in the passage of Th1-type cells across the blood-retina barrier in experimental autoimmune uveitis.

Although the recruitment of T helper cell type 1 (Th1)/Th2 cells into peripheral tissues is essential for inflammation and the host response to infection, the traffic signals that enable the distinct positioning of Th1/Th2 cells are unclear. We have determined the role of CC chemokine receptor 5 (CCR5) in this using experimental autoimmune uveitis (EAU) as a model system. In EAU, Th1-like cells are preferentially recruited into the retina across the blood-retina barrier, partly as a result of expression of the adhesion molecules P-selectin glycoprotein ligand 1 and lymphocyte function-associated antigen-1 on these cells. CD3+ T cells, infiltrating the retina, also expressed the chemokine receptor CCR5, and CCR5 ligands, macrophage-inflammatory protein-1alpha (MIP-1alpha), MIP-1beta, and regulated on activation, normal T expressed and secreted (RANTES), were strongly expressed in the retina at peak EAU. Th1-like cells, polarized in vitro, expressed high levels of CCR5. The trafficking of these CCR5+ cells was examined by tracking them after adoptive transfer in real time in vivo at an early disease stage using scanning laser ophthalmoscopy. Treatment of the cells with antibody against CCR5 prior to transfer resulted in a reduction in their infiltration into the retina. However, rolling velocity, rolling efficiency, and adherence of the cells to retinal endothelium were not reduced. CCR5 is clearly important for Th1 cell recruitment, and this study demonstrates for the first time in vivo that CCR5 may act at the level of transendothelial migration rather than at the earlier stage of rolling on the endothelium.

Th1 and Th2 lymphocytes in autoimmune disease.

This review reconsiders how the Th1/Th2 paradigm can be applied to Th1-mediated autoimmune disease. Although there is evidence that autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis, type 1 insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, and posterior uveitis are Th1 mediated and that in some cases reduction of the Th1 response or a Th2 type shift may alleviate disease, many apparent exceptions are now well documented. These exceptions center around the contradictory actions of the Th1 cytokine IFN-gamma and the evidence that Th2 lymphocytes can also cause disease. Recent information on the regulation of Th1 and Th2 lymphocytes in terms of the innate immune response and by other T cells helps to clarify the reasons for some of these discrepancies and enables the Th1/Th2 concept to be accepted as an integral part of the complex interactions occurring as autoimmune disease develops.

Retinal Pigment Epithelial Cell Apoptosis is Influenced by a Combination of Macrophages and Soluble Mediators Present in Age-Related Macular Degeneration.

PURPOSE: Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is one of the leading causes of blindness in the elderly population aged ≥60 years. Previous studies have shown that retinal pigment epithelial cell (RPE) degeneration is one of the early and crucial stages in AMD. It has been suggested that microglia and macrophages may be involved in the impairment of RPE, but how they and RPE are influenced by other factors present as AMD develops is unclear. Therefore the purpose of this study was to determine the role of macrophages in RPE degeneration in the presence of cytokines and oxidative stress likely to be present as AMD develops. METHODS: A co-culture model system was set up using bone marrow-derived macrophages and brain or retinal microglia cultured with RPE. Cytokines (IL-1ß, TNF-α, IFN-γ, and IL-6) and oxidized low-density lipoprotein were included in the culture at concentrations estimated to be likely during AMD, and apoptosis of RPE cells determined using flow cytometry to detect annexin V. RESULTS: Macrophages were shown capable of enhancing the apoptosis of RPE cells in a contact-dependent manner. IL-1ß, IFN-γ, IL-6, TNF-α, and oxLDL increased apoptosis; they increased RPE cell apoptosis directly, increased the susceptibility of RPE to subsequent apoptosis in the presence of microglia/macrophages, and increased the ability of microglia/macrophages to cause apoptosis. CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate that microglia and macrophages are capable of enhancing the degeneration of RPE, which are crucial in AMD development. However this is dependent on the microenvironment present as AMD develops.

Leukocyte diapedesis in vivo induces transient loss of tight junction protein at the blood-retina barrier.

PURPOSE: Although much is now understood about the molecular structure of tight junctions (TJs), little is known about the regulation of their function during neural inflammatory disease processes in vivo. The mechanisms by which leukocytes transmigrate the blood-retina barrier (BRB) without affecting endothelial permeability are controversial. METHODS: Confocal immunofluorescence microscopy of ex vivo retinal wholemounts was used to study BRB integrity during leukocyte adhesion and migration during experimental autoimmune uveoretinitis (EAU). Western blot analysis was used to measure levels of TJ proteins in EAU retina and RPE and in normal retina or RPE cultured with cytokines or chemokines. RESULTS: No evidence for discontinuity or other weakness of the endothelial or epithelial barrier at tricellular corners was observed, and maximum disruption of TJ protein expression was focused in retinal venules correlating with sites of leukocyte extravasation. Areas of maximum TJ protein loss in vivo also correlated with redistribution or loss of ensheathing astrocyte processes on venules but not adjacent capillaries or arterioles. Exposure of normal choroidal and retinal explants ex vivo to cytokines and chemokines alone did not downregulate total occludin-1 or claudin-3 TJ protein expression. CONCLUSIONS: The data presented herein support an active role for leukocytes in TJ disruption and blood-retina barrier (BRB) breakdown during retinal inflammation and further implicate venule microenvironment as a key factor in leukocyte recruitment to retinal tissue in vivo.

Involvement of CD44 in leukocyte trafficking at the blood-retinal barrier.

In the present study, we investigated the involvement of CD44 in leukocyte trafficking in vivo at the blood-retinal barrier using experimental autoimmune uveoretinitis (EAU) as a model system. Leukocyte trafficking was evaluated using adoptive transfer of calcein-AM (C-AM)-labeled spleen cells harvested from syngeneic mice at prepeak severity of EAU to mice at a similar stage of disease. CD44 and its ligand hyaluronan were up-regulated in the eye during EAU. CD44-positive leukocytes were found sticking in the retinal venules and postcapillary venules but not in the retinal arterioles nor in mesenteric vessels. Preincubation of in vitro C-AM-labeled leukocytes with anti-CD44 monoclonal antibodies (mAb; IM7) or high molecular weight hyaluronic acid (HA) before transfer significantly suppressed leukocyte rolling but not sticking in retinal venules and also reduced cell infiltration in the retinal parenchyma. Administration of the HA-specific enzyme hyaluronidase to mice before cell transfer also reduced leukocyte infiltration, suggesting that CD44-HA interactions are involved in leukocyte recruitment in EAU. This was further supported by the observation that disease severity was reduced by administration of anti-CD44 mAb (IM7) at the early leukocyte-infiltration stage. Further studies also indicated that CD44 activation was associated with increased levels of apoptosis, and this may also be in part responsible for the reduction in disease severity. These findings demonstrate that CD44 is directly involved in leukocyte-endothelial interaction in vivo and influence the trafficking of primed leukocytes to the retina and their overall survival.

Reduction in shear stress, activation of the endothelium, and leukocyte priming are all required for leukocyte passage across the blood--retina barrier.

The passage of leukocytes across the blood-retina barrier at the early stages of an inflammatory reaction is influenced by a complex series of interactions about which little is known. In particular, the relationship between hydrodynamic factors, such as shear stress and leukocyte velocity, to the adherence and subsequent extravasation of leukocytes into the retina is unclear. We have used a physiological method, scanning laser ophthalmoscopy, to track labeled leukocytes circulating in the retina, followed by confocal microscopy of retinal flatmounts to detect infiltrating cells at the early stage of experimental autoimmune uveitis. This has shown that retinal vessels are subjected to high shear stress under normal circumstances. During the inflammatory reaction, shear stress in retinal veins is reduced 24 h before leukocyte infiltration. This reduction is negatively correlated with leukocyte rolling and sticking in veins and postcapillary venules, the sites of leukocyte extravasation. Activation of vascular endothelial cells is also a prerequisite for leukocyte rolling and infiltration. In addition, antigen priming of leukocytes is influential at the early stage of inflammation, and this is seen clearly in the reduction in rolling velocity and adherence of the primed leukocytes in activated retinal venules, 9 days postimmunization.

S100B Up-Regulates Macrophage Production of IL1ß and CCL22 and Influences Severity of Retinal Inflammation.

S100B is a Ca2+ binding protein and is typically associated with brain and CNS disorders. However, the role of S100B in an inflammatory situation is not clear. The aim of the study was to determine whether S100B is likely to influence inflammation through its effect on macrophages. A murine macrophage cell line (RAW 264.7) and primary bone marrow derived macrophages were used for in vitro studies and a model of retinal inflammatory disease in which pathogenesis is highly dependent on macrophage infiltration, Experimental Autoimmune Uveoretinitis, for in vitro study. Experimental Autoimmune Uveoretinitis is a model for the human disease posterior endogenous uveoretinitis, a potentially blinding condition, with an autoimmune aetiology, that mainly affects the working age group. To date the involvement of S100B in autoimmune uveoretinitis has not been investigated. Real-time PCR array analysis on RAW 246.7 cells indicated up-regulation of gene expression for various cytokines/chemokines in response to S100B, IL-1ß and CCL22 in particular and this was confirmed by real-time PCR. In addition flow cytometry and ELISA confirmed up-regulation of protein production in response to S100B for pro-IL-1ß and CCL22 respectively. This was the case for both RAW 264.7 cells and bone marrow derived macrophages. Induction of EAU with retinal antigen in mice in which S100B had been deleted resulted in a significantly reduced level of disease compared to wild-type mice, as determined by topical endoscopic fundus imaging and histology grading. Macrophage infiltration was also significantly reduced in S100B deleted mice. Real-time PCR analysis indicated that this was associated with reduction in CCL22 and IL-1ß in retinas from S100B knock-out mice. In conclusion S100B augments the inflammatory response in uveoretinitis and this is likely to be, at least in part, via a direct effect on macrophages.

Requirements for passage of T lymphocytes across non-inflamed retinal microvessels.

Although activated T lymphocytes can migrate through unstimulated neural endothelium to perform immune surveillance or initiate inflammation, the precise mechanism by which this occurs is not clear. In this study, we have used intravital scanning laser ophthalmoscopy to show that circulating, activated T cells induce early changes in the retinal venules that enable T cell diapedesis in the absence of cell rolling, and without any reduction in shear stress within the venules. Concanavalin A (Con A)-activated T cells, but not naive T cells, were able to penetrate the normal blood-retinal barrier (BRB) 8-16 h after adoptive transfer. A minimum number (> or =1 x 10(5) cells/mouse) of Con A-activated T cells needed to be transferred before lymphocytes crossed the normal BRB. Cell rolling and reduction of shear stress did not occur in normal retinal venules and post-capillary venules. In contrast, in mice with experimental autoimmune uveoretinitis (EAU), in which the BRB has broken down, 45% of blast cells were rolling in retinal venules. Cell rolling correlated with significantly reduced shear stress. Both naive and Con A-activated T cells could cross the disabled barrier, with Con A-activated T cells migrating faster and in greater numbers than naive cells. Adoptive transfer of Con A-activated cells into normal recipient mice induced limited and transient breakdown of the BRB and up-regulation of ICAM-1 but not P-selectin. Pretreatment of Con A-activated cells with anti-LFA-1 significantly suppressed T cell infiltration in normal recipient mice. Our data indicate that critical to immune surveillance in the central nervous system (CNS) is the ability of activated T cells to interact with the endothelium, up-regulating ICAM-1 and inducing transient breakdown of the barrier.

Leukocyte trafficking in experimental autoimmune uveitis: breakdown of blood-retinal barrier and upregulation of cellular adhesion molecules.

PURPOSE: To clarify the order of events occurring in the breakdown of the blood-retinal barrier (BRB) in experimental autoimmune uveoretinitis (EAU) and in particular to study the relationships between increased vascular permeability, upregulation of endothelial cell adhesion molecules, and leukocyte adhesion and infiltration during EAU. METHODS: B10.RIII mice were immunized with human interphotoreceptor retinoid binding protein (IRBP) peptide 161-180. Changes in the retinal microvasculature were examined on days 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 16, and 21 postimmunization (pi). Evans blue dye was administered intravenously to assess vascular permeability. Expression of intercellular adhesion molecule (ICAM)-1, vascular cell adhesion molecule (VCAM)-1, P-selectin, E-selectin, and platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule (PECAM)-1 was evaluated by in vivo administration of antibody and subsequent immunostaining of retinal wholemounts. Lymphocytes from inguinal lymph nodes of normal and chicken ovalbumin (OVA)- or IRBP peptide-immunized mice at day 5, 6, 7, 8, and 15 pi were labeled in vitro with calcein-AM (C-AM) and infused intravenously into syngeneic recipient mice, which had been immunized with peptide at the same corresponding time point. Wholemount preparations of retinas were observed 24 hours later by confocal microscopy to determine the adhesion and infiltration of lymphocytes. RESULTS: The first observation of an increase in vascular permeability occurred at day 7 pi and was restricted to focal areas of the retinal postcapillary venules of the inner vascular plexus. This progressively extended to the outer vascular plexus at day 9 pi. Specific adhesion of leukocytes to the endothelium of retinal venules of the inner vascular plexus was first observed at day 6 pi. Leukocyte extravasation into the retinal parenchyma from these vessels began at day 8 pi and extended to the outer vascular plexus at day 9 pi. The expression of adhesion molecules increased progressively during the development of EAU. In particular, the adhesion molecules ICAM-1, P-selectin, and E-selectin were expressed predominately in retinal venules, the sites of BRB breakdown, cell adhesion, and extravasation, from day 7 pi. The increases in expression of ICAM-1 and P-selectin were associated both spatially and temporally with breakdown of the BRB, cell adhesion, and extravasation. No increase in expression of P-selectin and ICAM-1 was observed in either the mesenteric vessels of EAU mice or the retinal vessels of OVA-immunized mice. CONCLUSIONS: The sequence of events in EAU appears to be focal adhesion of leukocytes to discrete sites on postcapillary venules, followed by upregulation of adhesion molecules, especially ICAM-1 and P-selectin, and breakdown of the BRB, leading to transendothelial migration of leukocytes and recruitment of large numbers of cells to the retinal parenchyma. These changes occur over a short period of 6 to 9 days pi and initiate the process of tissue damage during the following 2 to 3 weeks.

Imaging ocular immune responses by intravital microscopy.

The eye offers excellent opportunities to observe cellular interactions in vivo. This applies especially to the immune response in which discrete events can be studied, including cell trafficking, transendothelial migration, adhesion, antigen presentation, and T cell activation. Intravital microscopy has allowed study of immune cell interactions in tissues such as the conjunctiva, the inflamed cornea, and the iris. Thus the realtime observation of presentation of antigen injected into the anterior chamber of the eye can be imaged using fluorescently labelled antigen and cells. Application of the scanning laser ophthalmoscope to the rat and mouse eye allows analysis of leukocyte-endothelial interactions in the retinal and choroidal circulations. These studies have provided important information on rolling and adhesion of leukocytes in real time in different microvascular beds that have not been manipulated in any way and has, for instance, provided quantitation to the effects of shear stress on leukocyte-endothelial adhesion. In addition, the model permits an accurate analysis of the timing of trafficking of T cells into the eye and the possibility of determining which cells, if any, may be responsible for antigen presentation in the tissues as opposed to the secondary lymphoid organs. Finally, these experimental methods are now being applied to the human eye and should prove valuable in determining the nature of tissue damage events in the eye as well as evaluating the response to treatments.

Regulation of T-lymphocyte CCL3 and CCL4 production by retinal pigment epithelial cells.

PURPOSE: Retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells have an important role in the immune suppression associated with the immune privilege of the eye. Some aspects of this remain unclear and this study aimed to determine how RPE cells could influence the production of chemokines by T lymphocytes. METHODS: T lymphocytes, separated from peripheral blood of normal volunteers, and RPE cells, cultured from donor eyes, were cultured separately and together, either in contact or in transwells. Supernatants were analyzed for CCL3, CCL4, and soluble CD54 (sCD54) by ELISA. Blocking agents were used to determine which soluble mediators were involved. RESULTS: Coculture of RPE cells with activated lymphocytes resulted in a reduction in CCL3 and CCL4 production by lymphocytes, primarily by soluble mediators. Soluble CD54 was markedly increased on coculture of lymphocytes with RPE cells. Soluble CD54 reduced CCL3 and CCL4 production by RPE cells, and inhibition of CCL3 and CCL4 on coculture with RPE cells was reduced by anti-CD54. Blocking prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) abrogated the inhibition of CCL4, but not CCL3, by RPE cells. Blocking TGFß and nitric oxide production had no effect. CONCLUSIONS: RPE cells are able to down-regulate high levels of CCL3 and CCL4 production by T lymphocytes by using the soluble mediators sCD54 and PGE2. Reducing this production of CCL3 and CCL4 will dampen down the cascade effect and recruitment of more inflammatory cells, protecting the retina from an excessive immune response.

Development of experimental autoimmune uveitis: efficient recruitment of monocytes is independent of CCR2.

PURPOSE: Macrophages are major contributors to the damage occurring in the retina in experimental autoimmune uveitis (EAU). CCR2 may be needed for efficient recruitment of monocytes to an inflammatory site, and the aim of this study was to determine whether this was the case in EAU. METHODS: EAU was induced and graded in C57BL/6J and CCR2(-/-) mice. Macrophage infiltration and CCR2 expression were assessed using immunohistochemistry. Retinas were examined for MCP-1 expression using RT-PCR. Rolling and infiltration of labeled bone marrow monocytes at the inflamed retinal vasculature were examined by scanning laser ophthalmoscopy and confocal microscopy, respectively. Effect of CCR2 deletion or blockade by antibody and antagonist was determined. RESULTS: Expression of mRNA for MCP-1 increased as EAU developed and was localized to the retina. CCR2 was associated with infiltrating macrophages. However, EAU induced in CCR2(-/-) mice was not reduced in severity, and neither was the percentage of macrophages in the retina. CCR2(-/-) monocytes, 48 hours after adoptive transfer to mice with EAU, showed no significant difference in percentage rolling or infiltration into the retina compared to WT. CCR2-independent rolling of monocytes was confirmed by CCR2 neutralizing antibody and antagonist treatment. CONCLUSIONS: CCR2 does not have a primary role in the recruitment of monocytes to the inflammatory site across the blood-retina barrier in well-developed EAU. Therapeutics targeting CCR2 are unlikely to be of value in treating human posterior uveitis.

Mechanisms of leukocyte migration across the blood-retina barrier.

Immune-mediated inflammation in the retina is regulated by a combination of anatomical, physiological and immuno-regulatory mechanisms, referred to as the blood-retina barrier (BRB). The BRB is thought to be part of the specialised ocular microenvironment that confers protection or "immune privilege" by deviating or suppressing destructive inflammation. The barrier between the blood circulation and the retina is maintained at two separate anatomical sites. These are the endothelial cells of the inner retinal vasculature and the retinal pigment epithelial cells on Bruch's membrane between the fenestrated choroidal vessels and the outer retina. The structure and regulation of the tight junctions forming the physical barrier are described. For leukocyte migration across the BRB to occur, changes are needed in both the leukocytes themselves and the cells forming the barrier. We review how the blood-retina barrier is compromised in various inflammatory diseases and discuss the mechanisms controlling leukocyte subset migration into the retina in uveoretinitis in more detail. In particular, we examine the relative roles of selectins and integrins in leukocyte interactions with the vascular endothelium and the pivotal role of chemokines in selective recruitment of leukocyte subsets, triggering adhesion, diapedesis and migration of inflammatory cells into the retinal tissue.

Differentiation to the CCR2+ inflammatory phenotype in vivo is a constitutive, time-limited property of blood monocytes and is independent of local inflammatory mediators.

It is proposed that CCR2+ monocytes are specifically recruited to inflammatory sites, whereas CCR2- monocytes are recruited to normal tissue to become resident macrophages. Whether these subsets represent separate lineages, how differential trafficking is regulated and whether monocytes undergo further differentiation is uncertain. Using a mouse model of autoimmune uveoretinitis we examined monocyte trafficking to the inflamed retina in vivo. We show that bone marrow-derived CD11b+ F4/80- monocytes require 24 to 48 h within the circulation and lymphoid system before acquiring the CCR2+ phenotype and trafficking to the inflamed retina is enabled. This phenotype, and the capacity to traffic were lost by 72 h. Monocyte CCR2 expression followed a similar time course in normal mice indicating that differentiation to an inflammatory phenotype is a constitutive, time-limited property, independent of local inflammatory mediators. Phenotypic analysis of adoptively transferred cells indicated that circulating inflammatory monocytes also differentiate into CD11c+ and B220+ dendritic cells and F4/80+ tissue macrophages in vivo. Our data supports the hypothesis of continuous extravasation and progressive differentiation over time of inflammatory monocytes in the circulation rather than replication within the actively inflamed tissue, and supports the concept of myeloid dendritic cell differentiation from trafficking monocytes under physiological conditions in vivo.