[Comparative characteristics of transcription of genes for alpha and beta-lymphotoxin subunits in B- and T-lymphocyte lines, in peripheral lymphocytes, and in normal human tissue]. / Sravnitel'naia kharakteristika transkriptsii genov sub''edinits alpha i beta limfotoksina v liniiakh B- i T-limfotsitov, v perifericheskikh limfotsitakh i v normal'nykh tkaniakh cheloveka.

Membrane lymphotoxin (LT) is heterotrimer LT alpha 1 beta 2, and its production depends on two genes. Northern blotting was employed in studying their transcription in B- and T-lymphoma cell lines and in peripheral blood lymphocytes before and after induction with phorbol myristate acetate (PMA). Transcription of either gene proved similarly regulated in several cell lines and in blood lymphocytes. Activation of the LT alpha gene was associated with induction of transcription factor NF-kappa B (p50/p65) upon cell treatment with PMA. On evidence of RT-PCR, two transcripts of the LT beta gene occurred in equimolar amounts in all lymphoid cells. A product of alternative splicing contained an open reading frame coding for the cytoplasmic portion of LT beta.

TNF and lymphotoxin beta cooperate in the maintenance of secondary lymphoid tissue microarchitecture but not in the development of lymph nodes.

Inactivation of genes encoding members of TNF and TNF receptor families reveal their divergent roles in the formation and function of secondary lymphoid organs. Most lymphotoxin alpha (ltalpha)- and all lymphotoxin beta receptor (ltbetar)-deficient mice are completely devoid of lymph nodes (LNs); however, most lymphotoxin beta (ltbeta)-deficient mice develop mesenteric LNs. Tnf- and tnfrp55-deficient mice develop a complete set of LNs, while ltbeta/tnfrp55 double-deficient mice lack all LNs, demonstrating cooperation between LTbeta and TNFRp55 in LN development. Now we report that ltbeta/tnf double-deficient mice develop the same set of mucosal LNs as do ltbeta-deficient mice, suggesting that ligands other than TNF signal through TNFRp55 during LN development. These LNs retain distinct T and B cells areas; however, they lack follicular dendritic cell networks. Structures resembling germinal centers can be found in the LNs from immunized ltbeta-deficient mice but not in ltbeta/tnf double-deficient mice. Additionally, stromal components of the spleen and LNs appear to be more severely disturbed in ltbeta/tnf double-deficient mice as compared with ltbeta-deficient mice. We conclude that LTbeta and TNF cooperate in the establishment of the correct microarchitecture of lymphoid organs.

Mature follicular dendritic cell networks depend on expression of lymphotoxin beta receptor by radioresistant stromal cells and of lymphotoxin beta and tumor necrosis factor by B cells.

The formation of germinal centers (GCs) represents a crucial step in the humoral immune response. Recent studies using gene-targeted mice have revealed that the cytokines tumor necrosis factor (TNF), lymphotoxin (LT) alpha, and LTbeta, as well as their receptors TNF receptor p55 (TNFRp55) and LTbetaR play essential roles in the development of GCs. To establish in which cell types expression of LTbetaR, LTbeta, and TNF is required for GC formation, LTbetaR-/-, LTbeta-/-, TNF-/-, B cell-deficient (BCR-/-), and wild-type mice were used to generate reciprocal or mixed bone marrow (BM) chimeric mice. GCs, herein defined as peanut agglutinin-binding (PNA+) clusters of centroblasts/centrocytes in association with follicular dendritic cell (FDC) networks, were not detectable in LTbetaR-/- hosts after transfer of wild-type BM. In contrast, the GC reaction was restored in LTbeta-/- hosts reconstituted with either wild-type or LTbetaR-/- BM. In BCR-/- recipients reconstituted with compound LTbeta-/-/BCR-/- or TNF-/-/BCR-/- BM grafts, PNA+ cell clusters formed in splenic follicles, but associated FDC networks were strongly reduced or absent. Thus, development of splenic FDC networks depends on expression of LTbeta and TNF by B lymphocytes and LTbetaR by radioresistant stromal cells.

Abnormal development of secondary lymphoid tissues in lymphotoxin beta-deficient mice.

The tumor necrosis factor (TNF) family cytokines lymphotoxin (LT) alpha and LTbeta form heterotrimers that are expressed on the surface of activated lymphocytes and natural killer cells; LTalpha homotrimers can be secreted as well. Mice with a disrupted LTalpha gene lack lymph nodes (LN), Peyer's patches (PP), and follicular dendritic cell (FDC) networks and reveal profound defects of the splenic architecture. However, it is unclear which of these abnormalities is the result of the absence in LTalpha homotrimers or LTalphabeta heterotrimers. To distinguish between these two possibilities, a mouse strain deficient in LTbeta was created employing Cre/loxP-mediated gene targeting. Mice deficient in LTbeta reveal severe defects in organogenesis of the lymphoid system similar to those of LTalpha-/- mice, except that mesenteric and cervical LN are present in most LTbeta-deficient mice. Both LTbeta- and LTalpha-deficient mice show significant lymphocytosis in the circulation and peritoneal cavity and lymphocytic infiltrations in lungs and liver. After immunization, PNA-positive B cell clusters were detected in the splenic white pulp of LTbeta-deficient mice, but FDC networks were severely underdeveloped. Collectively, these results indicate that LTalpha can signal independently from LTbeta in the formation of PNA-positive foci in the spleen, and especially in the development of mesenteric and cervical LN.

Functional analysis of the lymphotoxin-beta promoter. Sequence requirements for PMA activation.

Membrane lymphotoxin (LT) complex is a trimer composed of two subunits , LT-alpha and LT-beta of which the latter is a 33-kDa transmembrane protein. The LT-beta gene is expressed in lymphoid cells and organs, but little is known about its inducible regulation. Previously, the surface expression of LT-beta in Jurkat cells has been shown to increase in response to PMA. In this report, we used this model to study the transcriptional control of the human and murine LT-beta genes. PMA strongly induced the expression of LT-beta mRNA, and the level of induction was not changed markedly by cycloheximide (CHX) treatment. The LT-beta promoter region contains conserved Egr-1, nuclear factor (NF)-kappaB, and Ets binding sites, and PMA-inducible factors bound to these sites were detected by the gel-retardation technique (electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA)). To identify sequences involved in transcriptional control, sets of human and mouse promoter-chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) constructs were generated and assayed by transient transfections. The PMA response was lost after deletion of the distal Ets binding site at -110. Mutations at either the Ets or NF-kappaB sites that prevented factor binding dramatically reduced PMA-inducible promoter activity, suggesting cooperative interaction between corresponding transcription factors in PMA activation. Mutation at the Egr-1 site also resulted in substantial loss of promoter activity, and the residual activity may be attributed to binding of constitutively expressed Sp-1 to the same site. We propose that the interaction between the members of NF-kappaB and Ets families of transcription factors and their cognate sites in the promoter is the major determinant of inducible expression of the LT-beta gene in Jurkat cells.

Cloning and expression analysis of the murine lymphotoxin beta gene.

Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) and soluble lymphotoxin (LT) (also called LT-alpha or TNF-beta) are cytokines with similar biological activities that are encoded by related and closely linked genes. TNF-alpha, a mediator of the inflammatory response, exists in soluble and transmembrane forms. LT-alpha can be secreted or retained at the cell surface by binding to a 33-kDa transmembrane subunit, LT-beta. The recently cloned human LT-beta gene encodes another TNF family member and is linked to the TNF/LT locus within the major histocompatibility complex locus. The cell surface LT is a heterotrimer consisting of LT-alpha and LT-beta, whose physiological function is not yet clearly defined. We now report the sequence analysis of the genomic region and cDNA of murine LT-beta gene, which is closely associated with the TNF-alpha and LT-alpha genes within the murine major histocompatibility complex locus. Unlike the TNF-alpha, LT-alpha, and human LT-beta genes, which contain four exons, the murine LT-beta contains three exons and encodes a 244-amino acid polypeptide with a 66-amino acid insert that is absent from the human homologue. In situ hybridization demonstrates constitutive expression of LT-beta in lymphoid and hematopoietic tissues. LT-beta transcription is maximal in the thymic medulla and in splenic white pulp. LT-beta mRNA is also detected in the skin and in specific regions of the brain. The LT-beta promoter region contains putative Ets-binding sites, suggesting that the expression of LT-beta may be regulated in part by Ets transcription factors whose pattern of lymphoid expression overlaps that of LT-beta.