Phorbol esters induce PLVAP expression via VEGF and additional secreted molecules in MEK1-dependent and p38, JNK and PI3K/Akt-independent manner.

Endothelial diaphragms are subcellular structures critical for mammalian survival with poorly understood biogenesis. Plasmalemma vesicle associated protein (PLVAP) is the only known diaphragm component and is necessary for diaphragm formation. Very little is known about PLVAP regulation. Phorbol esters (PMA) are known to induce de novo PLVAP expression and diaphragm formation. We show that this induction relies on the de novo production of soluble factors that will act in an autocrine manner to induce PLVAP transcription and protein expression. We identified vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A) signalling through VEGFR2 as a necessary but not sufficient downstream event as VEGF-A inhibition with antibodies and siRNA or pharmacological inhibition of VEGFR2 only partially inhibit PLVAP upregulation. In terms of downstream pathways, inhibition of MEK1/Erk1/2 MAP kinase blocked PLVAP upregulation, whereas inhibition of p38 and JNK MAP kinases or PI3K and Akt had no effect on PMA-induced PLVAP expression. In conclusion, we show that VEGF-A along with other secreted proteins act synergistically to up-regulate PLVAP in MEK1/Erk1/2 dependent manner, bringing us one step further into understanding the genesis of the essential structures that are endothelial diaphragms.

Role for ZAP-70 Signaling in the Differential Effector Functions of Rituximab and Obinutuzumab (GA101) in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia B Cells.

Rituximab (RTX) has been the hallmark anti-CD20 mAb for the treatment of B cell neoplasms, including B cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL). Recently, a novel humanized anti-CD20 mAb obinutuzumab (GA101) has been implemented as first-line CLL therapy. Treatment of CLL patients with RTX is associated with CD20 loss via an FcγR-mediated process, trogocytosis. RTX-induced trogocytosis has been characterized as both the means of resistance to therapy, via loss of cell surface target proteins (antigenic modulation), as well as a process that alters B cell phenotype and function. This study investigates the nature and clinical relevance of GA101-mediated trogocytosis. In this study, we demonstrate that GA101 is a more potent mediator of trogocytosis than RTX in vitro in both normal B cells and B-CLL cells. Qualitative differences in the effector function of these anti-CD20 Abs appear specific to B-CLL cells. GA101-mediated CD19 and CD20 trogocytosis from B-CLL cells is associated with its ability to induce homotypic adhesion (HA). The degree of HA varies between CLL patients and positively correlates with the expression of ZAP-70, a BCR-associated kinase. Deregulation of ZAP-70 using tyrosine kinase inhibitors, gefitinib or ibrutinib, diminishes HA formation and trogocytosis by GA101. Taken together, these findings elucidate the differences in trogocytosis and HA formation mediated by anti-CD20 mAbs RTX and GA101, as well as provide a novel link between ZAP-70 expression and these effector functions.

Brief Report: Anti-Carbamylated Protein Antibodies in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients Are Reactive With Specific Epitopes of the Human Fibrinogen ß-Chain.

OBJECTIVE: Anti-carbamylated protein (anti-CarP) antibodies are associated with the risk and severity of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and are primarily directed against fibrinogen. The lack of understanding of anti-CarP antibody reactivity has limited analysis of the immunopathogenic associations in RA. To address this shortcoming, we mapped anti-CarP antibody epitope reactivity in RA patient sera. METHODS: Immunoblotting identified a patient serum sample with specific reactivity to the carbamylated human fibrinogen ß-chain. Liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS) identified sites of homocitrullines (carbamylated lysines) present in the human fibrinogen ß-chain. The reactivity of an anti-CarP antibody-positive cohort to specific peptides containing carbamylated lysines was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, through direct binding (n = 63 sera) and by competition assays (n = 40 sera). RESULTS: Serum with specific reactivity to carbamylated, but not citrullinated, fibrinogen ß-chain was identified in a specimen obtained from an RA patient. LC-MS identified carbamylation of 9 of 34 lysines in the human fibrinogen ß-chain. Mapping of immunoreactivity to tryptic peptide fragments demonstrated several candidate carbamylated epitopes that were confirmed by competition experiments. Peptides containing a homocitrulline at position 83 appeared to be an immunodominant epitope in some RA patient sera, with additional reactivity to peptides containing homocitrullines at positions 52, 264, 351, 367, and 374. CONCLUSION: Anti-CarP antibodies appear to preferentially target specific regions of the human fibrinogen ß-chain that contain homocitrullines. Interestingly, humoral immunoreactivity appears to be relatively restricted in some patients, which may enable detection of specific relationships with disease phenotype.

The role for neutrophil extracellular traps in cystic fibrosis autoimmunity.

While respiratory failure in cystic fibrosis (CF) frequently associates with chronic infection by Pseudomonas aeruginosa, no single factor predicts the extent of lung damage in CF. To elucidate other causes, we studied the autoantibody profile in CF and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients, given the similar association of airway inflammation and autoimmunity in RA. Even though we observed that bactericidal permeability-increasing protein (BPI), carbamylated proteins, and citrullinated proteins all localized to the neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs), which are implicated in the development of autoimmunity, our study demonstrates striking autoantibody specificity in CF. Particularly, CF patients developed anti-BPI autoantibodies but hardly any anti-citrullinated protein autoantibodies (ACPA). In contrast, ACPA-positive RA patients exhibited no reactivity with BPI. Interestingly, anti-carbamylated protein autoantibodies (ACarPA) were found in both cohorts but did not cross-react with BPI. Contrary to ACPA and ACarPA, anti-BPI autoantibodies recognized the BPI C-terminus in the absence of posttranslational modifications. In fact, we discovered that P. aeruginosa-mediated NET formation results in BPI cleavage by P. aeruginosa elastase, which suggests a novel mechanism in the development of autoimmunity to BPI. In accordance with this model, autoantibodies associated with presence of P. aeruginosa on sputum culture. Finally, our results provide a role for autoimmunity in CF disease severity, as autoantibody levels associate with diminished lung function.

Anti-carbamylated Protein Antibody Levels Correlate with Anti-Sa (Citrullinated Vimentin) Antibody Levels in Rheumatoid Arthritis.

OBJECTIVE: The presence of anticitrullinated protein antibodies (ACPA) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) indicates a breach in immune tolerance. Recent studies indicate that this breach extends to homocitrullination of lysines with the formation of anti-carbamylated protein (anti-CarP) antibodies. We analyzed the clinical and serologic relationships of anti-CarP in 2 RA cohorts. METHODS: Circulating levels of immunoglobulin G anti-CarP antibodies were determined by ELISA in established (Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center) and early (Sherbrooke University Hospital Center) cohorts and evaluated for anticyclic citrullinated peptide antibodies (anti-CCP), specific ACPA, and rheumatoid factor (RF) levels using the Student t test and correlation analysis. RESULTS: We identified elevated anti-CarP antibodies titers in 47.0% of seropositive patients (Dartmouth, n = 164), with relationships to anti-CCP (p < 0.0001) and IgM-RF (p = 0.001). Similarly, 38.2% of seropositive patients from the Sherbrooke cohort (n = 171) had elevated anti-CarP antibodies; titers correlated to anti-CCP (p = 0.01) but not IgM-RF (p = 0.09). A strong correlation with anti-Sa was observed: 47.9% anti-Sa+ patients were anti-CarP antibodies+ versus only 25.4% anti-Sa- in the Sherbrooke cohort (p = 0.0002), and 62.6% anti-Sa+ patients versus 26.9% anti-Sa- were anti-CarP antibodies+ in Dartmouth (p < 0.0001). We found a more variable response for reactivity to citrullinated fibrinogen or to citrullinated peptides from fibrinogen and α enolase. CONCLUSION: In 2 North American RA cohorts, we observed a high prevalence of anti-CarP antibody positivity. We also describe a surprising and unexpected association of anti-CarP with anti-Sa antibodies that could not be explained by cross-reactivity. Further, considerable heterogeneity exists between anti-CarP reactivity and other citrullinated peptide reactivity, raising the question of how the pathogenesis of antibody responses for carbamylated proteins and citrullinated proteins may be linked in vivo.

Induction of interleukin-6 production by rituximab in human B cells.

OBJECTIVE: Rituximab (RTX), an anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody, is highly effective in the treatment of several autoimmune diseases. The mechanism by which RTX treatment improves rheumatoid arthritis and antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis is not easily related to B cell depletion alone. Prior studies have shown that RTX mediates a rapid stripping of CD20 and CD19 from the human B cell through a process known as trogocytosis. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether changes in B cell phenotype resulting from trogocytosis would diminish the ability of B cells to promote autoimmune disease. METHODS: Human peripheral blood mononuclear cells were cultured with RTX under conditions that permitted trogocytosis. Changes in B cell phenotype and cytokine production were measured in the basal state and under conditions of activation with interleukin-4 (IL-4)/anti-CD40. The effects of RTX were characterized in terms of a requirement for interaction with the Fcγ receptor (FcγR) and other Fc-dependent interactions. RESULTS: Trogocytosis induced a marked loss of surface CD19, IgD, CD40, and B cell-activating factor receptor, but did not alter induction of CD86 expression on purified B cells following IL-4/anti-CD40 treatment. Unexpectedly, RTX-dependent trogocytosis of normal human B cells in vitro led to a rapid up-regulation of IL-6 production, with no effect on the production of tumor necrosis factor α, IL-1ß, interferon-γ, or IL-10. This effect was Fc-dependent and required the presence of an FcγR-bearing cell. Moreover, this effect involved the release of preformed intracellular IL-6 protein, as well as marked increases in IL-6 messenger RNA levels. CONCLUSION: RTX-mediated trogocytosis of B cells in vitro results in acute production and release of IL-6. The nature of this effect and how it is related to the acute infusion reactions seen with RTX administration remain to be determined.

Serum C-X-C motif chemokine 13 is elevated in early and established rheumatoid arthritis and correlates with rheumatoid factor levels.

INTRODUCTION: We hypothesized that serum levels of C-X-C motif chemokine 13 (CXCL13), a B-cell chemokine, would delineate a subset of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients characterized by increased humoral immunity. METHODS: Serum from patients with established RA (the Dartmouth RA Cohort) was analyzed for CXCL13, rheumatoid factor (RF) levels, anticitrullinated peptide/protein antibody (ACPA) and total immunoglobulin G (IgG); other parameters were obtained by chart review. A confirmatory analysis was performed using samples from the Sherbrooke Early Undifferentiated PolyArthritis (EUPA) Cohort. The Wilcoxon rank-sum test, a t-test and Spearman's correlation analysis were utilized to determine relationships between variables. RESULTS: In both the Dartmouth and Sherbrooke cohorts, CXCL13 levels were selectively increased in seropositive relative to seronegative RA patients (P = 0.0002 and P < 0.0001 for the respective cohorts), with a strong correlation to both immunoglobulin M (IgM) and IgA RF levels (P < 0.0001). There was a weaker relationship to ACPA titers (P = 0.03 and P = 0.006, respectively) and total IgG (P = 0.02 and P = 0.14, respectively). No relationship was seen with regard to age, sex, shared epitope status or inclusion high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) in either cohort or regarding the presence of baseline erosions in the Sherbrooke Cohort, whereas a modest relationship with Disease Activity Score in 28 joints CRP (DAS28-CRP) was seen in the Dartmouth cohort but not the Sherbrooke cohort. CONCLUSION: Using both established and early RA cohorts, marked elevations of serum CXCL13 levels resided nearly completely within the seropositive population. CXCL13 levels exhibited a strong relationship with RF, whereas the association with clinical parameters (age, sex, DAS28-CRP and erosions) or other serologic markers (ACPA and IgG) was either much weaker or absent. Elevated serum CXCL13 levels may identify a subset of seropositive RA patients whose disease is shaped by or responsive to RF production.

Rituximab mediates loss of CD19 on B cells in the absence of cell death.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate loss of the B cell-specific marker CD19 after the addition of rituximab (RTX) to healthy donor blood and to determine the role of complement-mediated cytotoxicity in these cells. METHODS: Whole blood and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from healthy donors were evaluated for the loss of CD19 in the presence of RTX using flow cytometry. The effect of complement on CD19 loss was examined using serum-free media, C3- and C5-deficient sera, and a C5-blocking antibody. Evidence of B cell death was evaluated by measuring messenger RNA (mRNA) levels as well as by flow cytometry. Transfer of CD19 antigen to monocytes and neutrophils was evaluated by flow cytometry and confocal microscopy. RESULTS: RTX induced a rapid decrease in CD19 count (mean 51%; n = 37) in PBMCs. This reduction occurred in the absence of complement. Despite the decrease in CD19 expression, B cell death did not occur, as evidenced by a lack of change in CD19 or CD20 mRNA levels and a lack of change in CD19 levels determined by intracellular staining and through the use of viability dyes. The CD19 antigen was shown to be transferred to monocytes and neutrophils in an Fc-dependent manner. CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate that the addition of RTX to healthy donor PBMCs in vitro results in complement-independent loss of CD19 without causing B cell death. CD19 is transferred from B cells to monocytes and neutrophils during shaving of the RTX-CD20 complex in an Fc-dependent manner. These data suggest that monitoring the effect of RTX by measuring the CD19+ cell count may be compromised by this activity.

A flexible approach to studying post-transcriptional gene regulation in stably transfected mammalian cells.

The study of post-transcriptional regulation is constrained by the technical limitations associated with both transient and stable transfection of chimeric reporter plasmids examining the activity of 3'-UTR cis-acting elements. We report the adaptation of a commercially available system that enables consistent stable integration of chimeric reporter cDNA into a single genomic site in which transcription is induced by tetracycline. Using this system, we demonstrate the tight control afforded by this system and its suitability in mapping the regulatory function of defined cis-acting elements in the human TNF 3'-UTR, as well as the distinct effects of serum starvation on transiently transfected and stably integrated chimeric reporter genes.

Separate cis-trans pathways post-transcriptionally regulate murine CD154 (CD40 ligand) expression: a novel function for CA repeats in the 3'-untranslated region.

We report a role for CA repeats in the 3'-untranslated region (3'-UTR) in regulating CD154 expression. Human CD154 is encoded by an unstable mRNA; this instability is conferred in cis by a portion of its 3'-UTR that includes a polypyrimidine-rich region and CA dinucleotide repeat. We demonstrate similar instability activity with the murine CD154 3'-UTR. This instability element mapped solely to a conserved 100-base CU-rich region alone, which we call a CU-rich response element. Surprisingly, the CA dinucleotide-rich region also regulated reporter expression but at the level of translation. This activity was associated with poly(A) tail shortening and regulated by heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein L levels. We conclude that the CD154 3'-UTR contains dual cis-acting elements, one of which defines a novel function for exonic CA dinucleotide repeats. These findings suggest a mechanism for the association of 3'-UTR CA-rich response element polymorphisms with CD154 overexpression and the subsequent risk of autoimmune disease.

Post-transcriptional regulation of glucose transporter-1 by an AU-rich element in the 3'UTR and by hnRNP A2.

Glucose transporter-1 (GLUT1) mediates uptake of glucose and is up-regulated in some cancers. The amount of this membrane protein is regulated by a post-transcriptional mechanism in which mRNA binding proteins recognize cis-acting elements in the 3'-untranslated (3'UTR) of the mRNA. To identify cis elements in GLUT1 mRNA we introduced 3'UTR sequences into the 3'UTR of the luciferase gene in a reporter construct. A 30 nt adenosine-uridine-rich element ("GLUT1 AURE") inhibited luciferase activity in HEK-293 cells. This inhibitory effect was confirmed by deleting the GLUT1 AURE from a reporter containing the full-length 3'UTR. Deletion of the GLUT1 AURE caused reporter activity to increase. Deletion of a larger fragment ("Bsu" region) containing the GLUT1 AURE increased reporter activity still further, suggesting that there are additional cis elements in the GLUT1 mRNA. The GLUT1 AURE was also active in GBM-T98G glioblastoma cells. Next, we tested the action of a trans-acting factor, hnRNP A2, on GLUT1 gene expression. We show that a cytoplasmic-localizing isoform of hnRNP A2 binds human GLUT1 RNA by gel-shift assay and by UV-crosslinking. Finally, over-expression of the hnRNP A2 isoform inhibited GLUT1 reporter expression in GBM-T98G cells. These results identify the AURE cis element in human GLUT1 mRNA and show that hnRNP A2 acts on GLUT1 mRNA to inhibit expression of GLUT1 in a brain cancer cell line.

Delineation of a novel pathway that regulates CD154 (CD40 ligand) expression.

The expression of CD154 (CD40 ligand) by activated T lymphocytes plays a central role in humoral and cellular immunity. The fundamental importance of this protein in mounting an immune response has made it an attractive target for immunomodulation. Several studies have demonstrated that CD154 expression is regulated at the level of mRNA turnover in a manner distinct from other cytokine genes. We have purified, sequenced, and characterized the two major proteins that bind the CD154 3' untranslated region (3'UTR) as members of the polypyrimidine tract binding protein (PTB) family. One of these proteins is a previously unreported alternatively spliced PTB isoform, which we call PTB-T. These proteins interact with a polypyrimidine-rich region within the CD154 3'UTR that lacks any known cis-acting instability elements. The polypyrimidine-rich region of the CD154 3'UTR was both necessary and sufficient to mediate changes in reporter gene expression and mRNA accumulation, indicating the presence of a novel cis-acting instability element. The presence of a cis-acting instability element in the polypyrimidine-rich region was confirmed using a tetracycline-responsive reporter gene approach. The function of this cis-acting element appears to be dependent on the relative cytoplasmic levels of PTB and PTB-T. Cotransfection of vectors encoding PTB-T consistently decreased the CD154 3'UTR-dependent luciferase expression. In contrast, transfection of plasmids encoding PTB tended to increase CD154 3'UTR-dependent luciferase expression. Thus, the CD154 3'UTR contains a novel cis-acting element whose function is determined by the binding of PTB and PTB-T. These data identify a specific pathway that regulates CD154 expression that can potentially be selectively targeted for the treatment of autoimmune disease and allograft rejection.

Lactate dehydrogenase is an AU-rich element-binding protein that directly interacts with AUF1.

Post-transcriptional pathways provide a major means of regulating eukaryotic gene expression. Reiterations of the AU-rich element (ARE) within the 3'-untranslated region of many cytokine and proto-oncogene mRNAs serve as signals for rapid degradation and translational repression. The identification of this cis-acting stability determinant has fueled the search for ARE-binding proteins (AUBP) that function as trans-acting factors that transduce this function. Previous work identified heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein (hnRNP) A1 as a major AUBP capable of binding the ARE of granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) RNA in the context of a full-length mRNA. We report here that functional studies failed to indicate a role for hnRNP A1 in ARE-dependent mRNA turnover. In an effort to identify other functionally relevant AUBP, the major GM-CSF ARE-specific binding protein in cells lacking hnRNP A1 was purified from CB3 mouse erythroleukemia cells. Microsequencing identified this protein as the glycolytic enzyme lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) M. RNA binding by LDH was shown to occur in the NAD(+)-binding region (Rossmann fold). Polysome gradient analysis demonstrates that LDH is found in the translationally active fraction. Polysomal localization of LDH was dependent on RNA binding. Moreover, polysomal LDH exists in a complex with AUF1 and hsp-70, which has been implicated previously in the regulation of mRNA turnover. The interaction between LDH and AUF1 is direct as it can be demonstrated in vitro with purified proteins. Collectively these data implicate a role for LDH in the post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression.