Preferential formation of 13-hydroxylinoleic acid by human peripheral blood eosinophils.

Lipid mediators released by inflammatory and immune cells play an important role in inflammatory and immune processes. Most attention has been focussed on arachidonic-derived mediators, including prostaglandins, thromboxanes, leukotrienes, and lipoxins. Literature data, however, suggest that also metabolites of the unsaturated fatty acid linoleic acid may be important in this respect. We have studied the formation and release of 9-hydroxy- and 13-hydroxy-linoleic acid (9-HODE and 13-HODE) by enriched populations of human peripheral blood neutrophils, eosinophils, basophils, monocytes, and lymphocytes. We demonstrate that the eosinophil preferentially produces 13-HODE, whereas the other cell types produce equal amounts of 9-HODE and 13-HODE. The biological significance of these findings is discussed.

Fluoride prevents degranulation of the azurophilic and specific granules in electropermeabilized neutrophils.

The effect of AlF4- on the degranulation process in human neutrophils was investigated. In intact neutrophils, AlF4- induced degranulation, whereas in electropermeabilized neutrophils AlF4- did not stimulate degranulation. In electropermeabilized neutrophils, fluoride ions proved to be inhibitory for the degranulation induced by addition of Ca2+ and/or GTP-gamma-S. Another phosphatase inhibitor, okadaic acid, inhibited degranulation induced by Ca2+ or by GTP-gamma-S but not degranulation induced by the combination of Ca2+ plus GTP-gamma-S. It is concluded that under suboptimal conditions of stimulation with Ca2+ or GTP-gamma-S, protein dephosphorylation plays an important role in the degranulation response in human neutrophils.

Inhibition of neutrophil NADPH oxidase assembly by a myristoylated pseudosubstrate of protein kinase C.

To further define the role played by protein kinase C (PKC) in the activation of the neutrophil NADPH oxidase, we have utilized a pseudosubstrate of PKC which was myristoylated at the N terminus. In electropermeabilized neutrophils, the myristoylated pseudosubstrate Phe-Ala-Arg-Lys-Gly-Ala-Leu-Arg-Gln (myr-psi PKC) inhibited PMA-induced protein phosphorylations and activation of the NADPH oxidase, induced either by PMA or by the receptor agonist formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine. Both the pseudosubstrate lacking the N-terminal myristate (psi PKC) and a myristoylated control peptide (Phe-Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly-Ala-Leu-Glu-Gln, myr-CP) were without effect on these responses. The myristoylated pseudosubstrate was also tested in a cell-free system, in which NADPH oxidase activation can be achieved by addition of SDS and guanosine 5'-3-O-(thio)triphosphate in a staurosporine-insensitive manner. Myr-psi PKC, but not psi PKC or myr-CP, proved to be a potent inhibitor of NADPH oxidase activity in the cell-free system, indicating that the inhibition observed in permeabilized neutrophils may have been caused by an effect other than PKC inhibition. In the presence of myr-psi PKC, translocation in the cell-free system of the cytosolic oxidase components p47-phox and p67-phox to the plasma membrane was inhibited. From these results we conclude that myristoylation profoundly increases the ability of pseudosubstrates of PKC to inhibit not only PKC-mediated phosphorylations, but also NADPH oxidase activation. The latter effect, however, is most probably not related to PKC inhibition but may indicate a critical role of the membrane surface charge in the translocation of the cytosolic oxidase components p47-phox and p67-phox.

Protein kinase C activity is not involved in N-formylmethionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine-induced phospholipase D activation in human neutrophils, but is essential for concomitant NADPH oxidase activation: studies with a staurosporine analogue with improved selectivity for protein kinase C.

Stimulation of human neutrophils by the receptor agonist N-formylmethionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (fMLP) results in a respiratory burst, catalysed by an NADPH oxidase. Concomitantly, phospholipase D (PLD) is activated. To investigate the role of protein kinase C (PKC) in these neutrophil responses, we have compared the effects of staurosporine and a structural analogue of staurosporine (cgp41251), that reflects a higher selectivity towards PKC [Meyer, Regenass, Fabbro, Alteri, Rösel, Müller, Caravatti and Matter (1989) Int. J. Cancer 43, 851-856]. Both staurosporine and cgp41251 dose-dependently inhibited the production of superoxide induced by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA). Both compounds also caused inhibition of the fMLP-induced respiratory burst, but with a lower efficacy during the initiation phase of this response. This latter observation cannot be taken as evidence against PKC involvement in the activation of the respiratory burst, because pretreatment of neutrophils with ionomycin before PMA stimulation also results in a lower efficacy of inhibition. Activation of PLD by fMLP was enhanced in the presence of staurosporine, but not in the presence of cgp41251. Enhancement of PLD activation was also observed in the presence of H-89, an inhibitor of cyclic-AMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA). Both staurosporine and H-89 reversed the dibutyryl-cyclic-AMP-induced inhibition of PLD activation, whereas cgp41251 was without effect. These results indicate that the potentiating effect of staurosporine on PLD activation induced by fMLP does not reflect a feedback inhibition by PKC activation, but instead a feedback inhibition by PKC activation. Taken together, our results indicate that in human neutrophils: (i) PKC activity is not essential for fMLP-induced activation of PLD; (ii) PKC activity does play an essential role in the activation of the respiratory burst by fMLP, other than mediating or modulating PLD activation; (iii) there exists a negative-feedback mechanism on fMLP-induced PLD activation by concomitant activation of PKA.

fMet-Leu-Phe-induced activation of phospholipase D in human neutrophils. Dependence on changes in cytosolic free Ca2+ concentration and relation with respiratory burst activation.

In this study, we have investigated the Ca2+ requirements for the activation of phospholipase D by the tripeptide fMet-Leu-Phe (fMLP) in human neutrophils. EGTA inhibited the activation of phospholipase D (PLD) by 55% (n = 4). When the initial transient rise in [Ca2+]i was prevented by loading the cells with limited amounts of the Ca2+ chelator 1,2-bis(O-aminophenoxy)ethane-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid acetoxymethyl ester (BAPTA/AM), PLD activation was inhibited by 92% (n = 4). In the presence of both chelators, PLD activation was only 4% of control. In electropermeabilized neutrophils, too, the activation of PLD after the addition of fMLP strongly depends on the Ca2+ concentration, being almost absent with 100 nM free Ca2+ present and reaching maximum activation with a free [Ca2+] of 500 nM. We subsequently investigated the relationship between PLD activation and the activation of the respiratory burst. In neutrophils loaded with BAPTA/AM (10 microM), in which PLD activation was almost absent, a respiratory burst could be induced by fMLP, albeit with a much longer lag time. A respiratory burst could also be elicited by fMLP in electropermeabilized neutrophils incubated with 100 nM free Ca2+. This response, however, was strongly enhanced in the presence of 1 microM Ca2+. Our results indicate that changes in [Ca2+]i are essential for the activation of PLD by fMLP, but probably do not constitute the sole activation signal. In addition, our data provide evidence that PLD activation is important, but not necessary, for activation of the neutrophil respiratory burst.

Production of arachidonic acid and linoleic acid metabolites by human bronchoalveolar lavage cells.

Fatty acid-derived inflammatory mediators are considered to play an important role in airway hyperresponsiveness of asthmatic patients. The pulmonary macrophage may be an important source for these mediators in airway tissue. We investigated the metabolism of arachidonic acid and linoleic acid by human bronchoalveolar lavage cells, mainly comprising pulmonary macrophages. Arachidonic was mainly metabolized by 5-lipoxygenase, giving rise to the formation of leukotriene B4 and 5-hydroxy-eicosatetraenoic acid (5-HETE). Linoleic acid was converted to 5 major metabolites, including the 9-hydroxy and 13-hydroxy derivatives, 9- and 13-hydroxy-octadecadienoic acid (9- and 13-HODE). The formation of HODEs could be inhibited by cyclooxygenase inhibitors as well as lipoxygenase inhibitors, indicating that both enzymic species play a role in the generation of HODEs.

The chymotrypsin inhibitor carbobenzyloxy-leucine-tyrosine-chloromethylketone interferes with the neutrophil respiratory burst mediated by a signaling pathway independent of PtdInsP2 breakdown and cytosolic free calcium.

The effects of carbobenzyloxy-leucine-tyrosine-chloromethylketone (zLYCK), an inhibitor of chymotrypsin, were investigated on the activation pathways of the human neutrophil respiratory burst. At 10 microM zLYCK, a parallel inhibition was observed of superoxide production stimulated with the chemo-attractant FMLP and of chymotrypsin-like activity of human neutrophils. By contrast, superoxide production induced by PMA was minimally affected by zLYCK. The known transduction pathways triggered by FMLP were analyzed. zLYCK did not affect either the FMLP-induced cytosolic free calcium transient, inositol 1,4,5 trisphosphate formation, nor the PMA-induced phosphorylation of the 47-kDa substrate of protein kinase C. zLYCK did not affect the activity of protein kinase C extracted from neutrophils. In Ca(2+)-depleted cells, in which phosphatidylinositol 4,5-biphosphate breakdown does not occur, zLYCK inhibited the FMLP-induced respiratory burst in cells primed by low doses of PMA. The activity of the NADPH oxidase tested with active membranes from stimulated neutrophils or in a cell-free system was not inhibited by zLYCK. We conclude that: 1) zLYCK inhibits superoxide production through the inhibition of a chymotrypsin-like protease of the neutrophil, 2) zLYCK inhibits FMLP-induced activation of NADPH oxidase through a pathway independent of PtdInsP2 breakdown and cytosolic free calcium, and 3) zLYCK may prove a useful probe for the characterization of its target protease in neutrophil activation.

The chymotrypsin inhibitor carbobenzyloxy-leucine-tyrosine-chloromethylketone interferes with phospholipase D activation induced by formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine in human neutrophils.

The effects of carbobenzyloxy-leucine-tyrosine-chloromethylketone (zLYCK), an inhibitor of chymotrypsin-like proteases, on signal transduction in human neutrophils triggered by the chemoattractant formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (fMLP) were investigated. zLYCK (10 microM) inhibited the fMLP-induced respiratory burst in neutrophils treated with cytochalasin B. In the presence of zLYCK (10 microM), the activation of phospholipase D in response to fMLP addition was inhibited. zLYCK did not inhibit the binding of [3H] fMLP to its receptor or the enzymic activity of phospholipase D because the response to ionomycin was unaffected. The effect of zLYCK on phospholipase D correlated well with its effects on the accumulation of diglycerides, which was also inhibited in the presence of zLYCK. In electropermeabilized neutrophils, too, zLYCK caused an inhibition of the fMLP-induced respiratory burst and the fMLP-induced activation of phospholipase D. Interestingly, this inhibition could be bypassed by guanosine 5'-O-(thiotriphosphate). We conclude that the inhibition of the respiratory burst in human neutrophils by zLYCK is caused by the selective inhibition of signal transduction leading to activation of phospholipase D and that zLYCK might be a useful probe to study the role of phospholipase D in neutrophil activation.