Blockade of the voltage-gated potassium channel Kv1.3 inhibits immune responses in vivo.

The voltage activated K+ channel (Kv1.3) has recently been identified as the molecule that sets the resting membrane potential of peripheral human T lymphoid cells. In vitro studies indicate that blockage of Kv1.3 inhibits T cell activation, suggesting that Kv1.3 may be a target for immunosuppression. However, despite the in vitro evidence, there has been no in vivo demonstration that blockade of Kv1.3 will attenuate an immune response. The difficulty is due to species differences, as the channel does not set the membrane potential in rodent peripheral T cells. In this study, we show that the channel is present on peripheral T cells of miniswine. Using the peptidyl Kv1.3 inhibitor, margatoxin, we demonstrate that Kv1.3 also regulates the resting membrane potential, and that blockade of Kv1.3 inhibits, in vivo, both a delayed-type hypersensitivity reaction and an Ab response to an allogeneic challenge. In addition, prolonged Kv1.3 blockade causes reduced thymic cellularity and inhibits the thymic development of T cell subsets. These results provide in vivo evidence that Kv1.3 is a novel target for immunomodulation.

Association of serine protease with the rise of intracellular calcium in cytotoxic T lymphocytes.

The precise role of the granular enzyme A (granzyme A), a serine protease, in the lytic process of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) is not clear. We have recently constructed a CTL line transfected with the antisense gene of granzyme A (a-GrA). These a-GrA CTL had lower GrA activity as well as decreased lytic activities, as measured by 51Cr and by DNA degradation assays. Furthermore, at low effector:target ratio (1:8) in prolonged lytic assays, they could not lyse targets as rapidly as the control CTL. When we examined their ability to exocytose BLT (CBZ-L-lys-thiobenzyl)-esterase in the presence of anti-CD3 antibody, the a-GrA CTL exocytosed poorly compared to the parental CTL or control transfectant with a CAT gene. Most strikingly, a-GrA cells could not release intracellular stores of Ca2+ in response to anti-CD3 induction, although the Ca2+ flux was normal when they were stimulated with ionomycin. When the parental CTL was treated with a specific benzyllactam inhibitor of BLT-esterase or N-tosyl-L-phenylalanylchloromethyl ketone, the Ca2+ flux induced by anti-CD3 was also suppressed. We propose that granzyme A is involved in the signal transduction pathway that causes the rise of the intracellular calcium.

Cloning, expression, and characterization of the human eosinophil eotaxin receptor.

Although there is a mounting body of evidence that eosinophils are recruited to sites of allergic inflammation by a number of beta-chemokines, particularly eotaxin and RANTES, the receptor that mediates these actions has not been identified. We have now cloned a G protein-coupled receptor, CC CKR3, from human eosinophils which, when stably expressed in AML14.3D10 cells bound eotaxin, MCP-3 and RANTES with Kds of 0.1, 2.7 and 3.1 nM, respectively. CC CKR3 also bound MCP-1 with lower affinity, but did not bind MIP-1 alpha or MIP-1 beta. Eotaxin, RANTES, and to a lessor extent MCP-3, but not the other chemokines, activated CC CKR3 as determined by their ability to stimulate a Ca(2+) -flux. Competition binding studies on primary eosinophils gave binding affinities for the different chemokines which were indistinguishable from those measured with CC CKR3. Since CC CKR3 is prominently expressed in eosinophils we conclude that CC CKR3 is the eosinophil eotaxin receptor. Eosinophils also express a much lower level of a second chemokine receptor, CC CKR1, which appears to be responsible for the effects of MIP-1 alpha.

Depletion of the mature CD4+8- thymocyte subset by FK506 analogs correlates with their immunosuppressive and calcineurin inhibitory activities.

FK506 blocks T cell activation by preventing the transcription of lymphokine genes through binding to the intracellular protein FKBP12 and formation of complex that inhibits the phosphatase activity of calcineurin. Beside exerting potent suppressive activity on cellular and humoral immune responses, in vivo treatment with FK506 in rodent models induces thymic alterations characterized by a selective reduction of mature CD4+8- cells. The potential relationship between such thymic alterations and the immunosuppressive and calcineurin inhibitory activities of FK506 has not been defined. Here, we took advantage of the availability of FK506 analogs with different immunosuppressive potencies to address this question. Intravenous daily administration of FK506 in Sprague-Dawley rats for 4 days was found to be sufficient to cause a depletion of CD4+8- thymocytes with an ED50=0.06 mg/kg/day. Under the same conditions, L-683,590 which is 2-3-fold less potent than FK506 in inhibiting T cell activation and calcineurin function gave an ED50=0.17 mg/kg/day. In contrast, the nonimmunosuppressive, calcineurin noninhibitory antagonist L-685,818, failed to deplete the CD4+8- thymocyte subset but could reverse the reducing effect of FK506 on this subset. Another analog, L-688,617, which does not completely inhibit T cell activation in vitro, also behaved as a partial agonist of CD4+8- cell depletion. Therefore, the ability of FK506 analogs to deplete the CD4+8- thymocytes subset correlates with their immunosuppressive and calcineurin inhibitory potencies. This suggests that calcineurin is involved in the intra-thymic maturation processes of CD4+8- T cells. Moreover, the short-term treatment protocol described here provides a rapid and quantitative assay to determine the immunosuppressive potency of FK506-like compounds in vivo

Interaction of [fluorescein-Trp25]glucagon with the human glucagon receptor expressed in Drosophila Schneider 2 cells.

The human glucagon receptor was expressed at high density in Drosophila Schneider 2 (S2) cells. Following selection with G418 and induction with CuSO4, the cells expressed the receptor at a level of 250 pmol/mg of membrane protein. The glucagon receptor was functionally coupled to increases in cyclic AMP in S2 cells. Protein immunoblotting with anti-peptide antibodies revealed the expressed receptor to have an apparent molecular mass of 48 kDa, consistent with low levels of glycosylation in this insect cell system. Binding of [fluorescein-Trp25]glucagon to S2 cells expressing the glucagon receptor was monitored as an increase in fluorescence anisotropy along with an increase in fluorescence intensity. Anisotropy data suggest that the mobility of the fluorescein is restricted when the ligand is bound to the receptor. Kinetic analysis indicates that the binding of glucagon to its receptor proceeds via a bimolecular interaction, with a forward rate constant that is several orders of magnitude slower than diffusion-controlled. These data would be consistent with a conformational change upon the binding of agonist to the receptor. The combination of [fluorescein-Trp25]glucagon with the S2 cell expression system should be useful for analyzing glucagon receptor structure and function.

Increased LFA-1-mediated homotypic cell adhesion is associated with the G1 growth arrest induced by rapamycin in a T cell lymphoma.

The immunosuppressive macrolide, rapamycin, impedes the G1 to S cell cycle progression in cytokine-stimulated normal lymphocytes and in certain autonomously proliferating cell lines. Here, we found that the rapamycin-induced growth arrest augments homotypic aggregation in the YAC-1 T cell lymphoma. The growth arrest and increased aggregation were both blocked by the rapamycin antagonist, L-685,818, which interacts with the intracellular binding proteins mediating rapamycin's biochemical action. Moreover, rapamycin-induced aggregation was not seen in YAC-1 cells mutants selected for resistance to the drug's antiproliferative effect. Although the inhibition of G1/S progression induced by serum deprivation also resulted in increased cellular aggregation, cell cycle blockade in late G1 by mimosine, early S phase by hydroxyurea, or G2/M by nocodazole all failed to do so. Furthermore, the aggregation induced by rapamycin was blocked by antibodies to the alpha (CD11a) or beta (CD18) subunits of the integrin, LFA-1, or to its ligands, ICAM-1 and ICAM-2, and did not occur in LFA-1-deficient YAC mutants. However, the surface expression of LFA-1, ICAM-1, or ICAM-2 was not augmented in cells aggregated by rapamycin. Finally, the serine/threonine protein phosphatase inhibitor, okadaic acid, was found to abrogate rapamycin-induced aggregation. Therefore, rapamycin's impairment of YAC-1 cell growth in G1 is accompanied by enhanced LFA-1-mediated homotypic cell adhesion that may reflect an increase of the integrin's avidity for its ligands and may involve protein phosphorylation/dephosphorylation events. This suggests the existence of a link between cell cycle progression and "inside-out" LFA-1 signaling, possibly regulated by rapamycin's biochemical targets.

Characterization of a fluorescent substance P analog.

We describe the development and characterization of substance P labeled at Lys3 with fluorescein ([fluorescein Lys3]SP) as a fluorescent probe for the neurokinin 1 (NK1) receptor. [fluorescein Lys3]SP is an agonist at the human NK1 receptor, with an affinity for both the high-affinity and low-affinity binding states of the receptor approximately 6-fold lower than that of substance P. Binding of the probe to the human NK1 receptor expressed in Sf9 insect cells was observed directly by monitoring either a decrease in fluorescence intensity or an increase in anisotropy of the [fluorescein Lys3]SP. Detection by anisotropy gave the larger signal and thus was used to characterize the interaction of [fluorescein Lys3]SP with the receptor. The anisotropy of the bound ligand was 0.17, compared to 0.04 for the free ligand. The fluorescence was quenched by about 15% upon binding to the receptor. Bound [fluorescein Lys3]SP was displaced by unlabeled SP and by the quinuclidine antagonist L-703,606. As expected for an agonist, binding was also reduced by the addition of the nonhydrolyzable guanine nucleotide analog GppNHp. [fluorescein Lys3]SP should provide a useful structural and kinetic probe for the NK1 receptor.

A disposable-chamber temperature-regulation system for the study of intracellular calcium levels in single live T cells using fluorescence digital-imaging microscopy.

Utilizing flow cytometry, we previously demonstrated that the potassium channel blocker margatoxin (MgTX) inhibits the [Ca2+]i transient involved in T-cell activation. We wished to extend these studies to single-cell transients using florescence digital-imaging microscopy (DIM). However, the most currently available temperature-regulation chambers reuse part or all of the apparatus and introduce compounds via perfusion. Thus, these apparatuses are not suitable for studies involving compounds that are particularly sticky. We have designed a dual-temperature regulation system that will maintain Nunc, eight-well, coverglass-bottom, disposable chambers, and three disposable addition pipets at 37 degrees C for physiological studies on an inverted digital-imaging microscope. We have demonstrated that calcium transients of human T lymphocytes can be initiated and monitored reproducibly during the addition of three distinct chemical species. The DIM results correlate with flow cytometry measurements in the number of responding cells and the heterogeneity of the response in both control and MgTX-inhibited cultures. Additionally, DIM revealed that the [Ca2+]i transient is more rapid than the flow-cytometric measurement indicated. The correlation between flow cytometry and DIM permits the amalgamation of these results in the interpretation of studies on the regulation of T-cell activation.

Human major histocompatibility complex class II-restricted T cell responses in transgenic mice.

Transgenic mice expressing human major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II molecules would provide a valuable model system for studying human immunology. However, attempts to obtain human class II-restricted T cell responses in such transgenic mice have had only limited success, possibly due to an inability of mouse CD4 to interact efficiently with human MHC class II molecules. To circumvent this problem, we constructed recombinant MHC class II genes in which the peptide-binding domain was derived from human DR sequences whereas the CD4-binding domain was derived from mouse I-E sequences. Purified chimeric human/mouse MHC class II molecules were capable of specifically binding DR-restricted peptides. Human B cell transformants that expressed these chimeric MHC class II molecules could present peptide antigens to human T cell clones. Expression of these chimeric class II molecules in transgenic mice led to the intrathymic deletion of T cells expressing superantigen-reactive V beta gene segments, indicating that the chimeric class II molecules could influence the selection of the mouse T cell repertoire. These transgenic mice were fully capable of mounting human DR-restricted immune responses after challenge with peptide or whole protein antigens. Thus, the chimeric class II molecules can serve as functional antigen presentation molecules in vivo. In addition, transgenic mice expressing chimeric class II molecules could be used to generate antigen-specific mouse T cell hybridomas that were capable of interacting with human antigen-presenting cells.

Anti-CD11b antibody prevents immunopathologic changes in viable moth-eaten bone marrow chimeric mice.

The effect of in vivo treatment with anti-CD11b (MAC-1) antibody (Ab) was examined in an inflammatory disease model, the viable moth-eaten (mev) mutant mouse. The autosomal recessive mev gene occurred spontaneously as a point mutation of the hematopoietic cell protein tyrosine phosphatase in C57BL/6 mice. Homozygotes (mev/mev) develop a chronic myelomonocytic inflammation, involving accumulation of myelomonocytic cells in lungs and skin, resulting in interstitial pneumonitis and severe edema in the paws. These mice also exhibit abnormalities in lymphoid development, thymic atrophy, with T cell and NK cell dysfunction. These inflammatory changes are transferrable by bone marrow cells of mev/mev mice, indicating that mev mutation is due to a stem cell defect in the myelomonocytic pathway. An anti-CD-11b (5C6) Ab inhibited the immunopathologic changes in the bone marrow chimeras, when the Ab treatment was initiated on day -1 or day 0 of the bone marrow transplant. The lungs, paws, and thymus all remained normal after treatment. Furthermore, the Ab also delayed the onset of the mev syndromes when the Ab was given 10 days after the bone marrow transfer. Therefore anti-CD11b Ab inhibited inflammation both prophylactically and therapeutically, and restored normal function of T and NK cells in this disease model. These results support the contention that CD11b molecules expressed in the myelomonocytic cells play a critical role in this naturally occurring inflammatory disease.

Linkage on chromosome 3 of autoimmune diabetes and defective Fc receptor for IgG in NOD mice.

A congenic, non-obese diabetic (NOD) mouse strain that contains a segment of chromosome 3 from the diabetes-resistant mouse strain B6.PL-Thy-1a was less susceptible to diabetes than NOD mice. A fully penetrant immunological defect also mapped to this segment, which encodes the high-affinity Fc receptor for immunoglobulin G (IgG), Fc gamma RI. The NOD Fcgr1 allele, which results in a deletion of the cytoplasmic tail, caused a 73 percent reduction in the turnover of cell surface receptor-antibody complexes. The development of congenic strains and the characterization of Mendelian traits that are specific to the disease phenotype demonstrate the feasibility of dissecting the pathophysiology of complex, non-Mendelian diseases.

Presentation of endogenous peptides to MHC class I-restricted cytotoxic T lymphocytes in transport deletion mutant T2 cells.

The ability of minigene-encoded viral peptide epitopes to be presented by class I molecules in the absence of MHC-encoded transporters has been evaluated in mutant T2 cells. These cells have a large deletion in the class II MHC region that includes the known transporter protein for antigenic peptides and proteasome genes and they are defective in presenting viral epitopes to CTL. T2 cells that express minigenes encoding the influenza virus matrix peptide 58-66 (GILGFVFTL) and two HTLV 1 Tax peptides 11-19 (LLFGYPVYV) and 12-19 were lysed by HLA-A2-restricted peptide-specific CTL. Minigene expression of a HLA-A2-restricted HIV reverse transcriptase peptide 476-484 (ILKEPVHGV) with three charged residues sensitized T2 cells poorly for lysis by HIV-specific CTL unless the peptide was preceded by an endoplasmic reticulum translocation signal sequence. Expression of an influenza virus nucleoprotein peptide 383-391 (SRYWAIRTR) with three charged arginine residues did sensitize HLA-B27+ T2 cells for lysis by peptide-specific CTL. These and other results with endogenously expressed peptide analogs in which hydrophobic and charged amino acids were interchanged demonstrate that antigenic peptides can be translocated from the cytoplasm into the class I Ag presentation pathway independent of MHC-encoded transporters; and that peptide hydrophobicity appears not to be a major determinant in selecting peptides for this alternate pathway.

A single administration of LFA-1 antibody confers prolonged allograft survival.

C57BL/6 (B6) thyroid gland transplanted to the left kidney capsule of an allogeneic (BALB/c) host was typically rejected in 14 days. A single administration of 500 micrograms of an antibody to the adhesion molecule, leucocyte function-associated antigen (LFA-1, CD11a), prevented all thyroid allograft rejection for at least 70 days. Fifty percent of the treated recipients retained intact allografts for 470 days. However, the same treatment with anti-CD11a could not protect a sensitized BALB/c mouse from rejecting a second B6 thyroid allograft. Production of donor-specific alloantibodies elicited by allograft rejection was also inhibited in this system. In this transplant model, the Ab therapy is more efficacious than that of FK506, administered daily for 14 days at 15 mg/kg. These results demonstrate the remarkable effect of an anti-LFA-1 antibody in promotion of allograft survival.