CXCR4 is a major chemokine receptor on glioma cells and mediates their survival

Chemokines were described originally in the context of providing migrational cues for leukocytes. They are now known to have broader activities, including those that favor tumor growth. We addressed whether and which chemokines may be important promoters of the growth of the incurable brain neoplasm, malignant gliomas. Analyses of 16 human glioma lines for the expression of chemokine receptors belonging to the CXCR and CCR series revealed low to negligible levels of all receptors, with the exception of CXCR4 that was expressed by 13 of 16 lines. All six resected human glioma specimens showed similarly high CXCR4 expression. The CXCR4 on glioma lines is a signaling receptor in that its agonist, stromal cell-derived factor-1 (SDF-1; CXCL12), produced rapid phosphorylation of mitogen-activated protein kinases. Furthermore, SDF-1 induced the phosphorylation of Akt (protein kinase B), a kinase associated with survival, and prevented the apoptosis of glioma cells when serum was withdrawn from the culture medium. SDF-1 also mediated glioma chemotaxis, in accordance with this better known role of chemokines. We conclude that glioma cells express a predominant chemokine receptor, CXCR4, and that this functions to regulate survival in part through activating pathways such as Akt.     

Inhibition of chemokine receptor function by membrane cholesterol oxidation

Membrane cholesterol is required to maintain chemokine receptor conformation and function for CXCR4 and CCR5. We previously demonstrated that chemokines preferentially bind to receptors within lipid rafts, which are cholesterol- and sphingolipid-rich membrane microdomains. To further elucidate the role of cholesterol in chemokine receptor function, we examined the effects of membrane cholesterol oxidation by cholesterol oxidase (CO), which enzymatically converts cholesterol to 4-cholesten-3-one. Here, we demonstrate that CO treatment (0.25-2.0 U/ml) of human T cells inhibits CXCL12 (SDF-1alpha) and CCL4 (MIP-1beta) binding to cell surface CXCR4 and CCR5, respectively, resulting in the inhibition of chemokine-mediated intracellular calcium mobilization and chemotaxis. The effects were significantly enhanced by cotreatment with low-dose sphingomyelinase (SMase) (0.125 mU/ml), which produced little inhibitory effect by itself. CO and SMase treatment also inhibited HIV-1 infection through CXCR4, but not virus replication. Similar to the removal of membrane cholesterol, CO/SMase treatment induced conformation changes in the chemokine receptors as detected by differential loss in binding of epitope-specific monoclonal antibodies. We conclude that the native form of cholesterol with the hydroxyl group at C3 is critical to CXCR4 and CCR5 conformation and function.     

Chemokine receptor responses on T cells are achieved through regulation of both receptor expression and signaling

To address the issues of redundancy and specificity of chemokines and their receptors in lymphocyte biology, we investigated the expression of CC chemokine receptors CCR1, CCR2, CCR3, CCR5, CXCR3, and CXCR4 and responses to their ligands on memory and naive, CD4 and CD8 human T cells, both freshly isolated and after short term activation in vitro. Activation through CD3 for 3 days had the most dramatic effects on the expression of CXCR3, which was up-regulated and functional on all T cell populations including naive CD4 cells. In contrast, the effects of short term activation on expression of other chemokine receptors was modest, and expression of CCR2, CCR3, and CCR5 on CD4 cells was restricted to memory subsets. In general, patterns of chemotaxis in the resting cells and calcium responses in the activated cells corresponded to the patterns of receptor expression among T cell subsets. In contrast, the pattern of calcium signaling among subsets of freshly isolated cells did not show a simple correlation with receptor expression, so the propensity to produce a global rise in the intracellular calcium concentration differed among the various receptors within a given T cell subset and for an individual receptor depending on the cell where it was expressed. Our data suggest that individual chemokine receptors and their ligands function on T cells at different stages of T cell activation/differentiation, with CXCR3 of particular importance on newly activated cells, and demonstrate T cell subset-specific and activation state-specific responses to chemokines that are achieved by regulating receptor signaling as well as receptor expression.     

Possible role of stromal-cell-derived factor-1/CXCR4 signaling on lymph node metastasis of oral squamous cell carcinoma

We examined the role of chemokine signaling on the lymph node metastasis of oral squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) using lymph node metastatic (HNt and B88) and nonmetastatic oral SCC cells. Of 13 kinds of chemokine receptors examined, only CXCR4 expression was up-regulated in HNt and B88 cells. CXCR4 ligand, stromal-cell-derived factor-1alpha (SDF-1alpha; CXCL12), induced characteristic calcium fluxes and chemotaxis only in CXCR4-expressing cells. CXCR4 expression in metastatic cancer tissue was significantly higher than that in nonmetastatic cancer tissue or normal gingiva. Although SDF-1alpha was undetectable in either oral SCC or normal epithelial cells, submandibular lymph nodes expressed the SDF-1alpha protein, mainly in the stromal cells, but occasionally in metastatic cancer cells. The conditioned medium from lymphatic stromal cells promoted the chemotaxis of B88 cells, which was blocked by the CXCR4 neutralization. SDF-1alpha rapidly activated extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)1/2 and Akt/protein kinase B (PKB), and their synthetic inhibitors attenuated the chemotaxis by SDF-1alpha. SDF-1alpha also activated Src family kinases (SFKs), and its inhibitor PP1 diminished the SDF-1alpha-induced chemotaxis and activation of both ERK1/2 and Akt/PKB. These results indicate that SDF-1/CXCR4 signaling may be involved in the establishment of lymph node metastasis in oral SCC via activation of both ERK1/2 and Akt/PKB induced by SFKs.     

CXC and CC chemokine receptors on coronary and brain endothelia

BACKGROUND: Chemokine receptors on leukocytes play a key role in inflammation and HIV-1 infection. Chemokine receptors on endothelia may serve an important role in HIV-1 tissue invasion and angiogenesis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The expression of chemokine receptors in human brain microvascular endothelial cells (BMVEC) and coronary artery endothelial cells (CAEC) in vitro and cryostat sections of the heart tissue was determined by light and confocal microscopy and flow cytometry with monoclonal antibodies. Chemotaxis of endothelia by CC chemokines was evaluated in a transmigration assay. RESULTS: In BMVEC, the chemokine receptors CCR3 and CXCR4 showed the strongest expression. CXCR4 was localized by confocal microscopy to both the cytoplasm and the plasma membrane of BMVEC. In CAEC, CXCR4 demonstrated a strong expression with predominantly periplasmic localization. CCR5 expression was detected both in BMVEC and CAEC but at a lower level. Human umbilical cord endothelial cells (HUVEC) expressed strongly CXCR4 but only weakly CCR3 and CCR5. Two additional CC chemokines, CCR2A and CCR4, were detected in BMVEC and CAEC by immunostaining. Immunocytochemistry of the heart tissues with monoclonal antibodies revealed a high expression of CXCR4 and CCR2A and a low expression of CCR3 and CCR5 on coronary vessel endothelia. Coronary endothelia showed in vitro a strong chemotactic response to the CC chemokines RANTES, MIP-1alpha, and MIP-1beta. CONCLUSIONS: The endothelia isolated from the brain display strongly both the CCR3 and CXCR4 HIV-1 coreceptors, whereas the coronary endothelia express strongly only the CXCR4 coreceptor. CCR5 is expressed at a lower level in both endothelia. The differential display of CCR3 on the brain and coronary endothelia could be significant with respect to the differential susceptibility of the heart and the brain to HIV-1 invasion. In addition, CCR2A is strongly expressed in the heart endothelium. All of the above chemokine receptors could play a role in endothelial migration and repair.     

Leukocyte-endothelium interaction promotes SDF-1-dependent polarization of CXCR4

Chemokine-driven migration is accompanied by polarization of the cell body and of the intracellular signaling machinery. The extent to which chemokine receptors polarize during chemotaxis is currently unclear. To analyze the distribution of the chemokine receptor CXCR4 during SDF-1 (CXCL12)-induced chemotaxis, we retrovirally expressed a CXCR4-GFP fusion protein in the CXCR4-deficient human hematopoietic progenitor cell line KG1a. This KG1a CXCR4-GFP cell line showed full restoration of SDF-1 responsiveness in assays detecting activation of ERK1/2 phosphorylation, actin polymerization, adhesion to endothelium under conditions of physiological flow, and (transendothelial) chemotaxis. When adhered to cytokine-activated endothelium in the absence of SDF-1, CXCR4 did not localize to the leading edge of the cell but was uniformly distributed over the plasma membrane. In contrast, when SDF-1 was immobilized on cytokine-activated endothelium, the CXCR4-GFP receptors that were present on the cell surface markedly redistributed to the leading edge of migrating cells. In addition, CXCR4-GFP co-localized with lipid rafts in the leading edge of SDF-1-stimulated cells, at the sites of contact with the endothelial surface. Inhibition of lipid raft formation prevents SDF-1-dependent migration, internalization of CXCR4, and polarization to the leading edge of CXCR4, indicating that CXCR4 surface expression and signaling requires lipid rafts. These data show that SDF-1, immobilized on activated human endothelium, induces polarization of CXCR4 to the leading edge of migrating cells, revealing co-operativity between chemokine and substrate in the control of cell migration.     

Chemokine receptor inhibition by AMD3100 is strictly confined to CXCR4

This study was undertaken to demonstrate the unique specificity of the chemokine receptor CXCR4 antagonist AMD3100. Calcium flux assays with selected chemokine/cell combinations, affording distinct chemokine receptor specificities, revealed no interaction of AMD3100 with any of the chemokine receptors CXCR1 through CXCR3, or CCR1 through CCR9. In contrast, AMD3100 potently inhibited CXCR4-mediated calcium signaling and chemotaxis in a concentration-dependent manner in different cell types. Also, AMD3100 inhibited stromal cell-derived factor (SDF)-1-induced endocytosis of CXCR4, but did not affect phorbol ester-induced receptor internalization. Importantly, AMD3100 by itself was unable to elicit intracellular calcium fluxes, to induce chemotaxis, or to trigger CXCR4 internalization, indicating that the compound does not act as a CXCR4 agonist. Specific small-molecule CXCR4 antagonists such as AMD3100 may play an important role in the treatment of human immunodeficiency virus infections and many other pathological processes that are dependent on SDF-1/CXCR4 interactions (e.g. rheumatoid arthritis, atherosclerosis, asthma and breast cancer metastasis).     

Chemokines as natural HIV antagonists

The unexpected encounter between the fields of HIV and chemokines has opened new perspectives for understanding the mechanisms of AIDS pathogenesis, as well as for the development of effective therapies and vaccines. Selected chemokines act as potent natural inhibitors of HIV infection, as they bind and downmodulate chemokine receptors that serve as critical coreceptors for HIV to gain access into cells. The differential usage of the two major HIV coreceptors, CCR5 and CXCR4, determines the biological diversity among HIV variants. Most primary HIV strains use CCR5 as a coreceptor and thereby are sensitive to inhibition by the CCR5-ligand chemokines, RANTES, MIP-1alpha and MIP-1beta. The high level of expression of these proinflammatory chemokines in HIV-infected secondary lymphoid tissues may help to explain the inherently slow course of HIV disease. The crucial role played by CCR5 in the physiology of HIV infection is further attested by the near-complete resistance to HIV infection in people carrying a homozygous 32 bp deletion within the CCR5 gene (CCR5-delta32). A smaller proportion of HIV isolates, commonly emerging in concomitance with the clinical progression toward AIDS, uses CXCR4 as a coreceptor and is inhibited by the CXCR4 ligand, SDF-1. The high level of expresion of SDF-1 in the genital mucosa may help to explain the inefficient transmission of CXCR4-tropic HIV. Although chemokines or derivative-molecules could be exploited as therapeutic agents against HIV, the risk of inducing inflammatory side-effects or of interfering with the physiology of the homeostatic chemokine system represents a potential limitation. However, the ability of chemokines to block HIV infection can be uncoupled from their receptor-mediated signaling activity, thus providing a theoretical foundation for the rational design of safe and effective chemokine receptor inhibitors.     

CXCR4/CCR5 down-modulation and chemotaxis are regulated by the proteasome pathway

Chemokines and their receptors play a critical role in host immune surveillance and are important mediators of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) pathogenesis and inflammatory response. The chemokine receptors CCR5 and CXCR4, which act as co-receptors along with CD4 for HIV docking and entry, are down-modulated by their respective ligands, MIP-1beta/SDF-1alpha or by the HIV envelope protein, gp120. We have studied the role of the proteasome pathway in the down-regulation of these receptors. Using the yeast and mammalian two-hybrid systems, we observed that the CCR5 receptor is constitutively associated with the zeta subunit of proteasome. Immunoprecipitation studies in CCR5 L1.2 cells revealed that this association was increased with MIP-1beta stimulation. The proteasome inhibitors, lactacystin and epoxomicin, attenuated MIP-1beta induced CCR5 down-modulation as detected by fluorescence-activated cell sorter analysis and confocal microscopy. The proteasome inhibitors also inhibited the SDF-1alpha and gp120 protein-induced down-modulation of the CXCR4 receptor in Jurkat cells. However, the inhibitors had no significant effect on the gp120-induced internalization of the CD4 receptor. These inhibitors also blocked cognate ligand-mediated chemotaxis but had no effect on SDF-1alpha-induced p44/42 MAP kinase or MIP-1beta-induced p38 kinase activities, thus indicating differential effects of the inhibitors on signaling mediated by these receptors. These results indicate that the CCR5 and CXCR4 receptor down-modulation mechanism and chemotaxis mediated by these receptors are dependent upon proteasome activity.     

Synthetic chemokines directly labeled with a fluorescent dye as tools for studying chemokine and chemokine receptor interactions

Chemokines constitute a protein family that exhibit a variety of biological activities involved in normal and pathological physiological processes. CCL11 (eotaxin), CCL19 (MIP-3beta), CCL22 (MDC), CXCL11 (I-TAC) and CXCL12 (SDF-1alpha) chemokines, modified with the Alexa Fluor 647 fluorescent dye at specific positions along their sequence, were produced by a chemical route and their biological activities were characterized. In a migration assay, fluorescent chemokines were as biologically active as the unmodified forms. All labeled chemokines specifically stained cell lines transfected with the appropriate human chemokine receptors. The specificity of binding was further established by showing that the unlabeled ligands efficiently competed with the labeled chemokines for binding to their respective receptor. A low molecular weight antagonist of CXCR4 prevented binding of labeled CXCL12 to CXCR4 comparably to a neutralizing anti-CXCR4 antibody. Finally, labeled CCL19 was used for the staining of primary cells, illustrating that this reagent can be used for studying CCR7 expression on different cell types. Together, these results demonstrate that fluorescent synthetic chemokines constitute promising ligands for the development of chemokine receptor-binding assays on intact cells, for applications such as cell-based, high throughput screening, and studies of chemokine receptor expression by primary cells.     

Expression and function of chemokine receptors on human thymocytes: implications for infection by human immunodeficiency virus type 1

The presence or absence of the receptor CD4 and the coreceptors CCR5 and CXCR4 restrict the cell tropism of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). Despite the importance of thymic infection by HIV-1, conflicting reports regarding the expression of HIV-1 coreceptors on human thymocytes have not been resolved. We assayed the expression and function of the major HIV-1 coreceptors, CCR5 and CXCR4, as well as CCR4 and CCR7 as controls, on human thymocytes. We detected CCR5 on 2.5% of thymocytes, CXCR4 on 53% of the cells, and CCR4 on 16% and CCR7 on 11% of human thymocytes. Moreover, infection by R5 HIV-1 did not significantly induce expression of CCR5. We found that two widely used anti-CCR5 monoclonal antibodies cross-reacted with CCR8, which may account for discrepancies among published reports of CCR5 expression on primary cells. This cross-reactivity could be eliminated by deletion of amino acids 2 through 4 of CCR8. Chemotaxis assays showed that SDF-1, which binds CXCR4; MDC, which binds CCR4; and ELC, which binds CCR7, mediated significant chemotaxis of thymocytes. In contrast, MIP-1beta, whose receptor is CCR5, did not induce significant chemotaxis. Our results indicate that CXCR4, CCR4, CCR7, and their chemokine ligands may be involved in thymocyte migration during development in the thymus. CCR5 and its ligands, however, are likely not involved in these processes. Furthermore, the pattern of CCR5 and CXCR4 expression that we found may explain the greater susceptibility of human thymocytes to infection by HIV-1 isolates capable of using CXCR4 in cell entry compared to those that use only CCR5.     

Towards in situ tissue repair: human mesenchymal stem cells express chemokine receptors CXCR1, CXCR2 and CCR2, and migrate upon stimulation with CXCL8 but not CCL2

The recruitment of bone marrow CD34- mesenchymal stem- and progenitor cells (MSC) and their subsequent differentiation into distinct tissues is the precondition for in situ tissue engineering. The objective of this study was to determine the entire chemokine receptor expression profile of human MSC and to investigate their chemotactic response to the selected chemokines CCL2, CXCL8 and CXCL12. Human MSC were isolated from iliac crest bone marrow aspirates and showed a homogeneous population presenting a typical MSC-related cell surface antigen profile (CD14-, CD34-, CD44+, CD45-, CD166+, SH-2+). The expression profile of all 18 chemokine receptors was determined by real-time PCR and immunohistochemistry. Both methods consistently demonstrated that MSC express CC, CXC, C and CX(3)C receptors. Gene expression and immunohistochemical analysis documented that MSC express chemokine receptors CCR2, CCR8, CXCR1, CXCR2 and CXCR3. A dose-dependent chemotactic activity of CXCR4 and CXCR1/CXCR2 ligands CXCL12 and CXCL8 (interleukin-8) was demonstrated using a 96-well chemotaxis assay. In contrast, the CCR2 ligand CCL2 (monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, MCP-1) did not recruited human MSC. In conclusion, we report that the chemokine receptor expression profile of human MSC is much broader than known before. Furthermore, for the first time, we demonstrate that human MSC migrate upon stimulation with CXCL8 but not CCL2. In combination with already known data on MSC recruitment and differentiation these are promising results towards in situ regenerative medicine approaches based on guiding of MSC to sites of degenerated tissues.     

DNA-binding specificity and embryological function of Xom (Xvent-2)

Directed cell movement is integral to both embryogenesis and hematopoiesis. In the adult, the chemokine family of secreted proteins signals migration of hematopoietic cells through G-coupled chemokine receptors. We detected embryonic expression of chemokine receptor messages by RT-PCR with degenerate primers at embryonic day 7.5 (E7.5) or by RNase protection analyses of E8.5 and E12.5 tissues. In all samples, the message encoding CXCR4 was the predominate chemokine receptor detected, particularly at earlier times (E7.5 and E8.5). Other chemokine receptor messages (CCR1, CCR4, CCR5, CCR2, and CXCR2) were found in E12.5 tissues concordant temporally and spatially with definitive (adult-like) hematopoiesis. Expression of CXCR4 was compared with that of its only known ligand, stromal cell-derived factor-1 (SDF-1), by in situ hybridization. During organogenesis, these genes have dynamic and complementary expression patterns particularly in the developing neuronal, cardiac, vascular, hematopoietic, and craniofacial systems. Defects in the first four of these systems have been reported in CXCR4- and SDF-1-deficient mice. Our studies suggest new potential mechanisms for some of these defects as well as additional roles beyond the scope of the reported abnormalities. Earlier in development, expression of these genes correlates with migration during gastrulation. Migrating cells (mesoderm and definitive endoderm) contain CXCR4 message while embryonic ectoderm cells express SDF-1. Functional SDF-1 signaling in midgastrula cells as well as E12.5 hematopoietic progenitors was demonstrated by migration assays. Migration occurred with an optimum dose similar to that found for adult hematopoietic cells and was dependent on the presence of SDF-1 in a gradient. This work suggests roles for chemokine signaling in multiple embryogenic events.     

Cutting edge: profile of chemokine receptor expression on human plasma cells accounts for their efficient recruitment to target tissues

We systematically examined the repertoire of chemokine receptors expressed by human plasma cells. Fresh bone marrow plasma cells and myeloma cells consistently expressed CXCR4, CXCR6, CCR10, and CCR3. Accordingly, plasma cells responded to their respective ligands in chemotaxis and very late Ag-4-dependent cell adhesion to fibronectin. Immobilized CXC chemokine ligand (CXCL)16, a novel transmembrane-type chemokine and CXCR6 ligand, also directly induced adhesion of plasma cells without requiring G(alpha i) signaling or divalent cations. Furthermore, we revealed consistent expression of CXCL12 (CXCR4 ligand), CXCL16 (CXCR6 ligand), and CC chemokine ligand 28 (CCR10 and CCR3 ligand) in tissues enriched with plasma cells including bone marrow, and constitutive expression of CXCL12, CXCL16, and CC chemokine ligand 28 by cultured human bone marrow stromal cells. Collectively, plasma cells are likely to be recruited to bone marrow and other target tissues via CXCR4, CXCR6, CCR10, and CCR3. CXCR6 may also contribute to tissue localization of plasma cells through its direct binding to membrane-anchored CXCL16.     

Cxc chemokine receptor expression on human endothelial cells.

CXC chemokines play a important role in the process of leukocyte recruitment and activation at sites of inflammation. However, recent evidence suggests that these molecules can also regulate endothelial cell functions such as migration, angiogenesis and proliferation. In this study we have investigated CXC chemokine receptor expression in both primary cultures of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) and the spontaneously transformed HUVEC cell line, ECV304. We found that both cell types express mRNA for chemokine receptors CXCR1, CXCR2 and CXCR4, but not CXCR3. Flow cytometric analysis revealed low levels of CXCR1 but higher levels of CXCR4 cell surface expression. HUVECs responded to SDF-1alpha with a rapid and robust calcium flux, however no calcium flux was seen with either IL-8 or Gro-alpha. HUVECs and ECV304 cells did not proliferate in response to CXC chemokines, although ECV304 cells did migrate towards SDF-1alpha and IL-8. These data demonstrate that HUVECs and the endothelial cell line, ECV304 express functional CXC chemokine receptors.     

Evidence for NK cell subsets based on chemokine receptor expression

To help understand the role of chemokines in NK cell trafficking, we determined the chemokine receptor profiles of three different human NK cell lines and freshly isolated primary human NK cells. The cell lines overlapped in their chemokine receptor profiles: CXCR3 and CXCR4 were expressed by all three lines, whereas CCR1, CCR4, CCR6, CCR7, and CX3CR1 were expressed by only one or two of the lines, and no other chemokine receptors were detected. Freshly isolated primary NK cells were found to express CXCR1, CXCR3, and CXCR4, and to contain subsets expressing CCR1, CCR4, CCR5, CCR6, CCR7, CCR9, CXCR5, and CXCR6. With the exception of CCR4, these chemokine receptors were expressed at higher percentages by CD56(bright) NK cells than by CD56(dim) NK cells. In particular, CCR7 was expressed by almost all CD56(bright) NK cells but was not detected on CD56(dim) NK cells. CCR9 and CXCR6 have not been described previously on primary NK cells. These results indicate that within both the CD56(bright) and CD56(dim) NK cell populations, subsets with the capacity for differential trafficking programs exist, which likely influence their functions in innate and adaptive immunity.     

Cutting edge: activity of human adult microglia in response to CC chemokine ligand 21

The approximately 50 known chemokines are classified in distinct subfamilies: CXC, CC, CX3C, and C. Although the signaling of chemokines often is promiscuous, signaling events between members of these distinct chemokine classes are hardly observed. The only known exception so far is the murine CC chemokine ligand (CCL)21 (secondary lymphoid tissue chemokine, Exodus-2, 6Ckine), which binds and activates the murine CXC chemokine receptor CXCR3. However, this exception has not been found in humans. In this study, we provide evidence that human CCL21 is a functional ligand for endogenously expressed CXCR3 in human adult microglia. In absence of CCR7 expression, CCL21 induced chemotaxis of human microglia with efficiency similar to the CXCR3 ligands CXC chemokine ligand 9 (monokine induced by IFN-gamma) and CXC chemokine ligand 10 (IFN-gamma-inducible protein-10). Because human CCL21 did not show any effects in CXCR3-transfected HEK293 cells, it is indicated that CXCR3 signaling depends on the cellular background in which the CXCR3 is expressed.     

A Broad Range of Chemokine Receptors Are Used by Primary Isolates of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 2 as Coreceptors with CD4

Like human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) and simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV), HIV-2 requires a coreceptor in addition to CD4 for entry into cells. HIV and SIV coreceptor molecules belong to a family of seven-transmembrane-domain G-protein-coupled receptors. Here we show that primary HIV-2 isolates can use a broad range of coreceptor molecules, including CCR1, CCR2b, CCR3, CCR4, CCR5, and CXCR4. Despite broad coreceptor use, the chemokine ligand SDF-1 substantially blocked HIV-2 infectivity of peripheral blood mononuclear cells, indicating that its receptor, CXCR4, was the predominant coreceptor for infection of these cells. However, expression of CXCR4 together with CD4 on some cell types did not confer susceptibility to infection by all CXCR4-using virus isolates. These data therefore indicate that another factor(s) influences the ability of HIV-2 to replicate in human cell types that express the appropriate receptors for virus entry.     

Differential expression and responsiveness of chemokine receptors (CXCR1-3) by human microvascular endothelial cells and umbilical vein endothelial cells.

The basis for the angiogenic effects of CXC chemokines such as interleukin 8 (IL-8) and for angiostatic chemokines such as interferon-inducible protein 10 (IP-10) has been difficult to assess. We recently reported, based on an RNase protection assay, that human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) did not express detectable mRNA for the IL-8 receptors CXCR1 and CXCR2. This raised the possibility of heterogeneity of receptor expression by different endothelial cell (ECs) types. Since systemic angiogenesis induced by IL-8 would more likely involve microvessel ECs, we investigated CXC receptor expression on human microvascular dermal endothelial cells (HMECs). By confocal microscopy and immunofluorescence we observed that HMECs consistently expressed high levels of CXCR1 and CXCR4 (mean fluorescence intensity of 261+/-22.1 and 306.2+/-19, respectively) and intermediate levels of CXCR3 and CXCR2 (173.9+/-30. 2 and 156+/-30.9, respectively). In contrast, only a small proportion of HUVEC preparations expressed low levels of CXCR1, -2, and -3 (66+/-19.9; 49+/-15, and 81.4+/-17.9, respectively). However, both HMECs and HUVECs expressed equal levels of CXCR4. As expected, HMECs had more potent chemotactic responses to IL-8 than HUVECs, and this was correlated with the levels of IL-8 receptors on the ECs. Antibodies to CXCR1 and CXCR2 each had inhibitory effects on chemotaxis of HMECs to IL-8, indicating that both IL-8 receptors contributed to the migratory response of these cells toward IL-8. Assessment of the functional capacity of CXCR3 unexpectedly revealed that HMECs migrated in response to relatively higher concentrations (100-500 ng/ml) of each of the 'angiostatic' chemokines IP-10, ITAC, and MIG. Despite this, the 'angiostatic' chemokines inhibited the chemotactic response of HMECs to IL-8. IL-8 and SDF-1alpha but not IP-10 induced calcium mobilization in adherent ECs, suggesting that signaling events associated with calcium mobilization are separable from those required for chemotaxis. Taken together, our data indicated that functional differences among EC types is dependent on the level of the expression of CXC chemokine receptors. Whether this heterogeneity in receptor expression by ECs reflects distinct differentiation pathways remains to be established.