LPS-stimulated release of prostaglandin E and thromboxane B2 from the U937 cell line

Human monocytes are known to metabolize arachidonic acid (AA) and to release prostaglandins upon stimulation. Previous data indicate that in vitro maturation and differentiation of monocytes result in alteration of this property with greatly diminished response to stimulators of release of prostaglandin E (PGE) and thromboxane B2 (TxB2) occurring after cells have been cultured. To further study the effects of differentiation on human monocyte AA metabolism, a model system was established based upon the human histiocytic cell line U937. Among tested stimulants, which included opsonized zymosan, complement fragment C3b, phorbol myristate acetate (PMA), calcium ionophore A23187, and concanavalin A, it was found that Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was unique in that it stimulated increased release of TxB2 from U937 cells. The effect of the phorbol ester PMA, a compound commonly used to induce differentiation of U937, on the ability of U937 to respond to LPS was examined. Following 48 hr of treatment with PMA, U937 became capable of releasing both PGE and TxB2 in response to small doses of LPS. As previously observed for human monocytes, the release of PGE was delayed for several hours following stimulation and failed to reach maximal cumulative levels in culture until 24-48 hr following stimulation. In contrast to human monocytes, PMA-induced U937 were capable of maintaining their responsiveness to LPS for several days. Thus, the U937 cell line provides a useful model for study of the effects of differentiation of human mononuclear phagocytes on their ability to metabolize AA, and for the effects of LPS on histiocytic tumor cell prostaglandin release.     

Human immunodeficiency virus infection of monoblastoid cells: cellular differentiation determines the pattern of virus replication.

Stringent control of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) replication was observed in the human monoblastoid cell line U937. A low-multiplicity infection of these cells by the LAV1 strain of HIV was productive for 2.5 days; then virus replication became restricted and no further evidence of virion production was observed. The dramatic decrease in HIV production was due in part of reduced accumulation of cytoplasmic viral RNA and occurred in the absence of evident cytopathic effects. In contrast, infected cells induced to differentiate by phorbol ester, vitamin D3, or lymphokine supernatant did not release markers of HIV despite the accumulation of significant levels of cytoplasmic viral RNA. HIV infection altered the pattern of c-myc RNA accumulation in U937 cells. Expression of this gene changes normally in response to the state of cellular differentiation; in infected cells the level of c-myc expression was correlated to the levels of viral RNA accumulation and not to cellular differentiation. These results suggest that restricted replication of HIV in monocytes might be an important mechanism of virus persistence and demonstrate a relationship between HIV replication and monocyte differentiation.     

Labelling of lipids and phospholipids with [3H]arachidonic acid and the biosynthesis of eicosanoids in U937 cells differentiated by phorbol ester

Phorbol esters induce morphologic and biochemical differentiation in U937 cells, a monocyte/macrophage-like line derived from a human histiocytic lymphoma. We are interested in the phorbol ester-stimulated release of arachidonic acid from cellular membranes and the subsequent synthesis of eicosanoids, as it may prove to correlate with the induced cellular differentiation. Undifferentiated log-phase U937 cells released little recently incorporated [3H]arachidonic acid, but phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate increased its apparent rate of release to that of cells differentiated by exposure to phorbol myristate acetate for 3 days. Exposure of washed differentiated cells immediately prelabelled with [3H]arachidonic acid to additional phorbol myristate acetate did not augment the release of [3H]arachidonic acid. The basal release of nonradioactive fatty acids from differentiated cells was 5-10 times that of undifferentiated cells, and phorbol myristate acetate increased their release from both types of cell 2- to 3-fold. Differentiated cells immediately prelabelled with [3H]arachidonic acid exhibited greater incorporation into phosphatidylinositol and phosphatidylcholine, and contained more radioactive free arachidonic acid, compared with undifferentiated cells. Undifferentiated cells contained more radioactivity in phosphatidylserine, phosphatidylethanolamine and neutral lipids. Phorbol myristate acetate caused differentiated cells to release [3H]arachidonic acid from phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidylserine, phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine, but release from neutral lipids was reduced, and the content of [3H]arachidonic acid increased. In undifferentiated cells incubated with phorbol myristate acetate, radioactivity associated with phosphatidylserine, phosphatidylethanolamine and neutral lipid was reduced and [3H]arachidonic acid was unchanged. Synthesis of cyclooxygenase products exceeded that of lipoxygenase products in both differentiated and undifferentiated cells. Phorbol myristate acetate increased the synthesis of both types of product, cyclooxygenase-dependent more than lipoxygenase-dependent, especially in differentiated cells. The biological significance of these changes in lipid metabolism that accompany phorbol myristate acetate-induced differentiation are yet to be established.     

Regulation of the growth and differentiation of a human monocytic cell line by lymphokines. I. Induction of superoxide anion production and chemiluminescence

The U937 human monocytic cell line was studied to determine its ability to generate a respiratory burst after stimulation with phorbol myristate acetate (PMA) or opsonized zymosan. U937 cells cultured in normal medium produced virtually no superoxide anion or chemiluminescence in response to either stimulus. In contrast, U937 cells cultured in medium containing soluble factors from activated lymphocytes produced significant O2- and chemiluminescence when stimulated with PMA or opsonized zymosan. The chemiluminescence in response to PMA was maximal in U937 cells precultured with these soluble factors for 3 days, whereas maximal responsiveness to opsonized zymosan was not observed until 5 to 6 days of lymphokine exposure. Although this ability to generate a respiratory burst persisted for a number of days in U937 cells that were subsequently recultured in normal medium, this responsiveness was gradually lost in the continued absence of these factors. The data indicate that the U937 monocytic cell line can be activated or induced to differentiate by soluble factors released by activated lymphocytes. In the process, these cells acquire the ability to generate a respiratory burst. The U937 cell line may serve as a useful model for the study of the ontogeny and regulation of the respiratory burst during human monocytic differentiation.     

Lymphokine and phorbol (PMA) regulation of complement (C2) synthesis using U937

Human monocytes synthesize large amounts of the second complement component (C2) after incubation with a T-lymphocyte product called monocyte complement stimulator (MCS). The human monocyte-like cell line, U937, also synthesizes C2 and can be stimulated to increase this synthesis by lymphokine-rich culture supernates. Additionally, phorbol myristate acetate (PMA), an agent which induces maturational changes in other macrophage-like cell lines, also stimulates C2 synthesis by U937 cells. Lymphokine and PMA stimulation of C2 secretion by U937 are both reversibly inhibitable by cycloheximide. At optimal concentrations for stimulation of C2 synthesis, PMA inhibits [³H]thymidine incorporation by U937 indicating that increased C2 is not due to increased numbers of U937 cells.     

Induction of differentiation of the human histiocytic lymphoma cell line U937 in the absence of vimentin expression

We have studied the expression of vimentin in the human histiocytic lymphoma cell line U937, induced to differentiate along the monocyte/macrophage pathway. Normal monocytes possess a network of vimentin intermediate filaments (IFs) at all stages of maturation. The undifferentiated U937 leukemia cells contain very low amounts of vimentin, but express a conspicuous IF network when exposed to phorbol myristate acetate. In parallel, they acquire functional properties typical of cells of the monocyte lineage. These concomitant variations suggest that vimentin IFs could play a role in the process of differentiation. However, we observed that all-trans-retinoic acid and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 confer monocyte-like properties upon U937 cells without inducing vimentin expression. We obtained increased phenotypic changes, yet in the absence of a vimentin network, by combining the effects of both inducers. These results show that vimentin expression is not crucial for the acquisition of some of the functions characteristic of the monocyte/macrophage lineage.     

Inhibition of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 replication by a Tat-activated, transduced interferon gene: targeted expression to human immunodeficiency virus type 1-infected cells.

We have examined the feasibility of using interferon (IFN) gene transfer as a novel approach to anti-human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) therapy in this study. To limit expression of a transduced HIV-1 long terminal repeat (LTR)-IFNA2 (the new approved nomenclature for IFN genes is used throughout this article) hybrid gene to the HIV-1-infected cells, HIV-1 LTR was modified. Deletion of the NF-kappa B elements of the HIV-1 LTR significantly inhibited Tat-mediated transactivation in T-cell lines, as well as in a monocyte line, U937. Replacement of the NF-kappa B elements in the HIV-1 LTR by a DNA fragment derived from the 5'-flanking region of IFN-stimulated gene 15 (ISG15), containing the IFN-stimulated response element, partially restored Tat-mediated activation of LTR in T cells as well as in monocytes. Insertion of this chimeric promoter (ISG15 LTR) upstream of the human IFNA2 gene directed high levels of IFN synthesis in Tat-expressing cells, while this promoter was not responsive to tumor necrosis factor alpha-mediated activation. ISG15-LTR-IFN hybrid gene inserted into the retrovirus vector was transduced into Jurkat and U937 cells. Selected transfected clones produced low levels of IFN A (IFNA) constitutively, and their abilities to express interleukin-2 and interleukin-2 receptor upon stimulation with phytohemagglutinin and phorbol myristate acetate were retained. Enhancement of IFNA synthesis observed upon HIV-1 infection resulted in significant inhibition of HIV-1 replication for a period of at least 30 days. Virus isolated from IFNA-producing cells was able to replicate in the U937 cells but did not replicate efficiently in U937 cells transduced with the IFNA gene. These results suggest that targeting IFN synthesis to HIV-1-infected cells is an attainable goal and that autocrine IFN synthesis results in a long-lasting and permanent suppression of HIV-1 replication.     

Bacterial lipopolysaccharide, phorbol myristate acetate, and muramyl dipeptide stimulate the expression of a human monocyte surface antigen, Mo3e

Exposure of mononuclear phagocytes to bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS), phorbol myristate acetate (PMA), or muramyl dipeptide (MDP) is known to stimulate a variety of cellular activities that include increases in phagocytosis, oxidative metabolism, synthesis and secretion of monokines, and cytotoxicity of microbes and tumor cells. We now report that culture of human peripheral blood monocytes in medium containing LPS, phorbol compounds, or MDP also results in the acquired expression of a plasma membrane antigen. Mo3e, as identified by a murine monoclonal antibody. Mo3e is barely detectable (by immunofluorescence flow cytometry) on freshly isolated monocytes, but is expressed in high antigen density after exposure of cells to E. coli, Salmonella minnesota, or Serratia marcescens LPS (at concentrations exceeding 0.1 ng/ml), PMA (and other biologically active phorbol compounds) (0.5 to 1 X 10(-8) M), or MDP (0.01 to 1 X 10(-6) M). Mo3e expression stimulated by LPS is prevented by pretreatment of LPS with polymyxin B, suggesting that the lipid A portion of LPS is responsible for Mo3e induction (polymyxin B has no effect on Mo3e expression stimulated by PMA or MDP). Culture of monocytes in medium containing protein synthesis inhibitors (or at 4 degrees C) blocks the acquisition of Mo3e. Recombinant IFN-gamma, which is also known to "activate" mononuclear phagocytes, does not stimulate Mo3e expression, although both LPS and IFN induce enhanced expression of monocyte Ia antigen. Analogous to their stimulatory effect on monocytes, LPS and PMA induce Mo3e expression by the human monocytic cell line, U-937. On the basis of these observations, Mo3e may represent an immunologic marker for monocyte activation stimulated in vitro by LPS, PMA (and related compounds), and MDP.     

The human promyelocytic HL60 cell line: a model of myeloid cell differentiation using dimethylsulphoxide, phorbol ester and butyrate.

The release of the reactive oxygen species that accompanies the oxidative burst was studied in HL60 cells differentiated with either dimethylsulphoxide, butyrate or phorbol myristate acetate in order to establish the extent to which differentiated cells are phenotypically similar to human neutrophils, monocytes and macrophages. When phorbol myristate acetate was used as a stimulus, the rates of superoxide production by dimethylsulphoxide and butyrate differentiated HL60 cells was not significantly different from those observed in neutrophils and monocytes isolated from normal peripheral blood. Similar results were obtained when luminol-dependent chemiluminescence was measured in the presence of horseradish peroxidase using phorbol myristate acetate as the stimulus. However, in the absence of horseradish peroxidase, the luminol-dependent chemiluminescence in the dimethylsulphoxide and butyrate-differentiated HL60 cells was significantly lower than that of the control cells isolated from human blood, reflecting the absence of myeloperoxidase in the differentiated cells. In contrast, HL60 cells differentiated by phorbol myristate acetate failed to show any increased generation of superoxide or luminol-dependent chemiluminescence upon stimulation. Impaired release of lysosomal enzymes by the chemically differentiated cells suggests impairments in the extent of differentiation resulting in cells with defective azurophilic degranulation processes. It is concluded that HL60 cells differentiated by the above agents are somewhat controversial models of promyelocyte differentiation into typical neutrophilic, monocytic and macrophage-like cells.     

Specific activation by concanavalin A of the superoxide anion generation capacity during U937 differentiation

Phorbol myristate acetate (PMA) induces changes in the human monocyte-macrophage-like cell line U937 which reflect cellular differentiation. PMA prompted the expression of the superoxide anion (O2-) generating capacity in U937 upon appropriate stimulation. A highly specific stimulation by Concanavalin A (Con A) of O2- release was observed in PMA-differentiated U937 cells, which exceeded in 10-20 times that obtained with Con A-stimulated monocytes and neutrophils. These results indicate that a highly specific machinery required for Con A stimulation, practically absent in mature monocytes and neutrophils, is synthesized during PMA-induced U937 differentiation. A novel cytochrome b putatively involved in O2- generation was detected in U937 cells. This cytochrome b content was increased during PMA-induced cell differentiation, although no linear correlation was found between capability to produce O2- by macrophage-like U937 cells and their content of cytochrome b.     

Chemiluminescence of mononuclear cells is enhanced during antigen recognition

Stimulation of phagocytes by several cytokines causes superoxide generation and consequently chemiluminescence. Since antigen-activated lymphocytes generate cytokines, we investigated whether antigen recognition by mononuclear cells, which contain both lymphocytes and monocytes, is accompanied by changes in lucigenin-dependent chemiluminescence. Mononulcear cells which underwent antigen-induced proliferation showed a delayed rise in lucigenin-dependent chemiluminescence in the absence of other stimuli. The common recall antigen Candida albicans increased spontaneous chemiluminescence of mononuclear cells from unselected donors up to 20-fold over control values after 48–72h of culture. With Rabies virus vaccine as specific antigenic stimulus, only mononuclear cells from rabies immunized individuals responded with enhanced delayed chemiluminescence. In contrast to opsonized zymosan and phorbol myristate acetate, antigens induced no oxidative burst within one hour after addition. Delayed mononuclear cel chemiluminescence was inhibited by the superoxide scavenger superoxide dismutase and by di-phenylene iodonium, a selective inhibitor of the phagocyte NADPH oxidase. A neutralizing monoclonal antibody against interferon-gamma completely abrogated antigen-induced chemiluminescence. Recombinant interferon-gamma by itself induced delayed mononuclear cell chemiluminescence. Thus, antigen-induced delayed mononuclear cell chemiluminescence represents activation of phagocyte NADPH oxidase by interferon-gamma generated by activated lymphocytes.     

Infection of differentiated U937 cells by Salmonella typhimurium: Absence of correlation between oxidative burst and antimicrobial defence

Abstract The human histiocytic lymphoma cell line U937 can be induced to differentiate along the monocyte/macrophage pathway by either phorbol myristate acetate (PMA) or by the combination of retinoïc acid (RA) and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (VD). U937 cells treated with either PMA or RA/VD were able to phagocytose Salmonella typhimurium in the presence of non-immune human serum. However, only cells differentiated by RA/VD were capable of developing an oxidative metabolic burst in response to infection. Since the oxidative burst is considered to be a potent antimicrobial mechanism, we investigated its effect on S. typhimurium . The oxidative burst failed to affect either the viability or the multiplication of S. typhimurium suggesting that if plays only a minor role in the host defence against S. typhimurium .     

Induction of chronic human immunodeficiency virus infection is blocked in vitro by a methylphosphonate oligodeoxynucleoside targeted to a U3 enhancer element.

Oligodeoxynucleosides with internucleoside methylphosphonate linkages complementary to regions within U3 of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 were evaluated for their ability to block phorbol myristate acetate upregulation of virus in chronically infected promonocytic and T-lymphoblastoid cell lines. One such oligomer, targeted to an NF-kappa B enhancer element, inhibited phorbol myristate acetate induction of viral replication and tat-mediated trans activation of the human immunodeficiency virus long terminal repeat. The effect of this construct is contrasted with classical antisense methylphosphonate-derivatized oligomers complementary to initiation codon and splice acceptor sites of human immunodeficiency virus structural and regulatory genes. Its activity suggests a novel application of the modified oligonucleotide strategy in the blockade of viral induction from latently infected cells.     

Mononuclear phagocyte activation: activation-associated antigens

Mononuclear phagocyte activation is characterized by alterations in cellular metabolism and plasma membrane composition. In rodent and human systems, antibodies (conventional heteroantibodies or monoclonal reagents) that identify plasma membrane antigens selectively expressed by activated macrophages and monocytes have been generated. Among these activation-associated determinants is Mo3e (p50,80), a protease-sensitive antigen that is expressed by human monocytes activated in culture by exposure to bacterial lipopolysaccharide, muramyl dipeptide, or phorbol myristate acetate (PMA) (as well as other biologically active phorbol compounds). Mo3e is also expressed by the monoblastic cell line U-937 after culture in medium containing PMA and other pharmacological activators of protein kinase C (4 beta-phorbol-12,13-dibutyrate, 4 beta-phorbol-12,13-didecanoate, mezerein, and cell-permeable 1,2-diacylglycerol). The human promyelocytic cell line HL-60 becomes Mo3e positive after exposure in vitro to certain inducers of monocytic differentiation (PMA, dibutyryl cyclic AMP, and cholera toxin plus 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine). The surface expression of Mo3e is blocked by inhibitors of protein synthesis, N-linked glycosylation, and protein kinase activation, as well as by ethylene glycol bis(beta-aminoethyl ether)-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid and calcium antagonists. These data suggest the involvement of glycoprotein synthesis, protein kinase activation, and calcium ions in the stimulated expression of Mo3e by activated human mononuclear phagocytes. Anti-Mo3e antibody blocks the human monocyte response to migration inhibitory factor (MIF), which indicates an association between the expression of Mo3e antigen and responsiveness to MIF.     

Induction of collagenase production in U937 cells by phorbol ester and partial purification of the induced enzyme

The U937 cell line is a monoblast-like cell line that can be induced to differentiate when treated with phorbol ester or a variety of other agents. Collagenase was detected in the media of U937 cell cultures after treatment with phorbol myristate acetate (PMA) at concentrations of 5 ng/mL or greater. In general, no collagenase was detected in the media of untreated cells. The induced collagenase cleaved native type I collagen into the 3/4 and 1/4-length fragments and showed the inhibition by ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid characteristic of the action of mammalian collagenases. Collagenase activity could be detected in the media of treated cells 12-18 h after the addition of PMA. Secretion of collagenase continued for 2-3 days after PMA addition. The production of collagenase by PMA-treated U937 cells was inhibited by actinomycin D and cycloheximide, suggesting that the induction of the enzyme is the result of de novo synthesis. The collagenase secreted by U937 cells induced with PMA has been purified 12-fold by using DEAE-Sephacel followed by wheat germ agglutinin-agarose chromatography. The apparent molecular mass of this U937 collagenase, determined by gel filtration chromatography on the partially purified enzyme, was 29-36 kilodaltons.     

Infection of monocytic cells by HIV1: combined role of FcR and CD4

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) complexed with human anti-HIV IgG can attach to Fcγ receptors (Fch) of mononuclear phagocytes. To determine whether the FcR-mediated infection that results also requires interaction between HIV gp 120 and cell membrane CD4, monocytic cells of the U937 line were transiently treated with phorbol 12, 13-dibutyrate (PDB) so that they temporarily presented a CD4⁻FcR⁺ phenotype at the time of HIV infection. HIV production was not abolished, but only significantly delayed after infection of these cells with free virus. Leu3a monoclonal antibody or soluble recombinant CD4 completely blocked this delayed infection. This indicates that enough CD4 still remained at the membrane to allow infection of a reduced cell number. Infection of PDB-treated cells with virus preincubated with high anti-HIV IgG concentrations was inhibited, contrasting with what was observed with control cells infected under the same conditions. Inhibition of infection was also observed when HIV became attached to untreated U937 cells through the binding of CD4-IgG hybrid molecules to FcR. Thus, the binding of IgG-coated virus to FcR is not sufficient in itself to elicit productive infection of monocytic cells, which still requires the interaction of viral gp120 and membrane CD4.     

Autogenous production of interferon-beta switches on HLA genes during differentiation of histiocytic lymphoma U937 cells

The expression of class I HLA genes was measured during the in vitro differentiation of human U937 lymphoma cells towards macrophages. Following the onset of differentiation by phorbol myristate acetate the levels of cytoplasmic mRNA that hybridized with a [32P]HLA-B cDNA probe increased by a factor of nine. Elevation in HLA mRNA accumulation was followed by an increase in the rate of synthesis of HLA proteins and also by a dramatic increase in class I HLA cell surface antigen expression, as shown by cytofluorimetric analysis. The elevation in HLA mRNA and surface antigens could be prevented by adding antibodies against human interferon-beta (IFN-beta) to the culture medium at the onset of differentiation. Interferon antiviral activity was detected in the medium of differentiated U937 cells. The same anti-IFN-beta antibodies prevented the increase in (2'-5')oligo(A) synthetase activity which also takes place in differentiating U937 cells. Accumulation of the IFN-induced (2'-5')oligo(A) synthetase in U937 cells is preceded by an increase in its specific 1.6-kb mRNA as shown by hybridization to cloned (2'-5')-oligo(A) synthetase cDNA. The enzyme was preferentially found in the nuclear fraction of differentiating U937 cells. We suggest that an autogenous production of interferon-beta by the differentiating cells, switches on expression of the class I HLA genes as well as that of the (2'-5')oligo(A) synthetase.