Antiapoptotic role of endogenous nitric oxide in human melanoma cells.

The role of endogenous NO on cell survival was investigated in human melanoma cells and melanocytes. Inducible NO synthase (iNOS) was always expressed in a panel of melanoma cell lines from metastatic lesions and in normal adult melanocytes. iNOS was also detected by immunohistochemistry in melanoma cells from metastases. Release of NO by tumor cells and melanocytes was inhibited by a specific iNOS inhibitor, aminoguanidine (AMG). Inhibition of endogenous NO synthesis did not affect cell cycle progression of melanoma cells but led to cell death by apoptosis, as indicated by Annexin V/propidium iodide and terminal deoxynucleotidyltransferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling assays. By contrast, iNOS inhibition by AMG did not promote apoptosis in normal adult melanocytes. A mitochondrial pathway was involved in melanoma apop tosis, as indicated by altered mitochondrial membrane potential (delta psi(m)) and down-regulation of Bcl-2 protein level after iNOS inhibition. AMG treatment triggered release of caspase-1, enzymatic activation of caspase-3, and degradation of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase, one of the main caspase-3 substrates. Melanoma cell apoptosis induced by iNOS inhibition was completely blocked by peptide inhibitors of caspase-1 and caspase-3 (Ac-DEVD-CHO and AC-YVAD-CHO) or by an exogenous NO donor, sodium nitroprusside, or by addition of serum. Finally, comparison of control and AMG-treated melanoma cells by pathway-specific gene array analysis indicated that inhibition of NO synthesis led, before induction of apoptosis, to up-regulation of mRNA levels of genes involved in the apoptosis pathway such as Bax, caspase-1, caspase-3, caspase-6, gadd45beta, mdm2, and TRAIL. Taken together, these results indicate that melanoma cell survival is regulated by endogenous NO resulting from iNOS activity.

The induction of nitric oxide by interleukin-12 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha in human natural killer cells: relationship with the regulation of lytic activity.

We have investigated the interleukin-12 (IL-12) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFalpha)-induced regulation of human natural killer (NK) cell function and their relationship with nitric oxide (NO) generation. We demonstrate that both cytokines were efficient to trigger the transcription of the inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) mRNA, as detected by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Western blot analysis and intracytoplasmic fluorescence showed that iNOS protein was also induced by both cytokines. However, our data indicate that NO does not play a significant role in the effector phase of the cytotoxic activity mediated by NK-stimulated cells, inasmuch as the lytic activity was not affected in the presence of specific NO synthase inhibitors. When aminoguanidine (AMG), an inhibitor of iNOS, was added during the afferent phase of NK stimulation with IL-12 and TNFalpha, a subsequent increase in the lytic potential of the effector cells towards the NK-sensitive target cells (K562) and lymphokine-activated killer (LAK) target cells (Daudi) was observed. Conversely, the addition of chemical NO donors during the afferent step resulted in a dose-dependent inhibition of the NK and LAK cytotoxicity. Our data suggest that the enhancement of NK-cell cytotoxic activity resulting from iNOS inhibition may be correlated, at least in part, to an increase in interferon-gamma production and granzyme B expression.

Further analysis of interleukin-2 receptor subunit expression on the different human peripheral blood mononuclear cell subsets.

We have investigated the expression of the three components of the interleukin-2 receptor (IL-2Ralpha, IL-2Rbeta, and IL-2Rgamma) on the surface of the various peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) subsets by flow cytometry analysis. The PBMC were immediately isolated (ficoll) from blood collected on heparin as anticoagulant. The three IL-2R components are absent or only marginally detectable on CD4 T lymphocytes. No expression of the IL-2R chains is found for the B lymphocytes. In most donors, the three chains are not detectable on CD8 T lymphocytes, but for a few of them, IL-2Rbeta or IL-2Rgamma are clearly expressed. CD56 high (IL-2Ralpha+) and CD56 low (IL-2Ralpha-) natural killer (NK) cells express IL-2Rbeta, but not IL-2Rgamma. IL-2Rgamma is expressed by monocytes of all donors although with variable intensity. When blood is collected on other anticoagulants or when cells are isolated 1 day after collection, IL-2Ralpha, IL-2Rbeta, and IL-2Rgamma are largely expressed on the surface of most PBMC. This observation provides a possible explanation for divergent data previously reported on IL-2R expression. Finally, we show that IL-2Rgamma, which is not detectable on the cell surface of lymphocytes, is nevertheless expressed and stored as an intracellular component. This result is in agreement with the constitutive expression of the IL-2Rgamma gene and suggests a specific regulatory mechanism for IL-2Rgamma membrane translocation.

IL-15 enhances immune functions during HIV infection.

IL-15, a new cytokine primarily produced by macrophages, has been shown to exhibit several functional properties shared with IL-2. Treatment of PBMC from HIV-infected patients with IL-15 resulted in an increase in NK cell cytotoxicity to levels similar to those of untreated PBMC from healthy donors. This effect is independent of several well-characterized regulatory cytokines, as it is not prevented by Abs that neutralize IFNs, TNF-alpha, IL-2, or IL-12. Enhanced cytotoxicity was accompanied by a significant increase in expression of cytotoxic granules. IL-15 enhanced the proliferative ability in both controls and HIV-seropositive in response to mitogen and recall Ags. Although the addition of IL-15 has a preventive effect on the appearance of spontaneous cell death, this effect was not seen during mitogen-induced apoptosis. The production of IL-15 by PBMC from patients in response to Staphylococcus aureus Cowan strain 1 appeared heterogeneous and was not negatively regulated by cytokines that inhibited IL-12 production. No correlation was found between in vitro HIV infection and IL-15 production, as viral infection had no effect on the ability of monocytes to produce IL-15 in response to S. aureus. Interestingly IL-15 restored the deficient production of IL-12 by PBMC from HIV+ people and had no major effect on modulating viral expression in latently infected cell lines or PBMC from naturally infected people. Taken together, these results suggest a potent immunoregulatory role of IL-15 during HIV infection.

Differential regulation of interleukin-12- and interleukin-15-induced natural killer cell activation by interleukin-4.

The regulation of human natural killer (NK) cell activation is under the control of a network of regulatory signals provided by cytokines. In the present study, we investigated the functional interaction between interleukin (IL)-4 and two monocyte/macrophage-derived cytokines, IL-12 and IL-15, during the process of NK stimulation. Using freshly isolated human NK cells, we have demonstrated that IL-4 negatively regulates lymphokine-activated killer (LAK) activity induced by IL-15 against the NK-resistant Daudi target cells. In contrast, IL-4 had no effect on IL-12-stimulated LAK generation. The differential effect of IL-4 on NK cell activation by IL-12 and IL-15 correlates with its ability to increase or to down-regulate the level of tumor necrosis factor-alpha and interferon-gamma release by NK cells, respectively. In contrast, endogenous transforming growth factor-beta 1 does not appear to be involved in the IL-4 regulatory pathway. Furthermore, while IL-4 was found to decrease the basal expression of the IL-2 receptor beta subunit utilized by IL-15, it had no effect on the expression of the beta 1 chain of the IL-12 receptor compared to untreated cells. Northern blot analysis indicated that the IL-4 regulatory effect on NK lytic function was associated with its capacity to down-regulate granzyme B and perforin gene transcription in response to IL-15 and its failure to affect the expression of both gene's in response to IL-12. Together, these data suggest the existence of a distinct cross-talk between IL-4 and IL-15 or IL-12 signaling pathways during the regulation of human non-major histocompatibility complex-restricted cytotoxicity.

DNA-protein cell content of lymphokine activated killer (LAK) and target cells in coculture.

An extensive study of the interactions between LAK-target cells in cocultures was performed by means of cytometric (relative DNA and protein content) and morphological parameters. The aim was to obtain new information about the cell cycle stage of tumor target cells (Chang line) during the attack of LAK cells. Specimens obtained from cocultures at 0, 24, 48 hours were processed for electron microscopy, flow cytometry, immunocytochemistry (anti-BrdU reaction) and light microscopy (L.I., M.I., cell-cell interaction). The most intense activity of LAK cells against the target was found at 24 hours of coculture independently of the proliferative stage of the tumor cells. These results suggest that the high affinity between killer and target cells was not affected by the molecular changes of the Chang cell surface during the cell cycle.