Lysophospholipid regulation of mononuclear phagocytes

Blood monocytes and tissue macrophages derived from monocyte differentiation in tissues are central elements of innate immunity in host defense against numerous pathogens and other challenges. These mononuclear phagocytes also participate in wound healing and normal tissue remodeling in development and growth. Pathological perversion of their physiological roles leads to participation of mononuclear phagocytes in fibrosing diseases including granulomatous disorders, chronic inflammation typical of arthritis, and atherosclerosis. Lysophospholipids, including lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) and sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P), are platelet-derived lipid growth factors considered to participate in leukocyte differentiation and activation. This section summarizes our recent observations of the effects of lysophospholipids on mononuclear phagocytes.     

IL-4 inhibits superoxide production by human mononuclear phagocytes

The activation of mononuclear phagocytes (M phi) and their generation of oxidative products is influenced by various cytokines as well as by normal maturational changes. We examined the effects of IL-4 on superoxide (O2-) production (cytochrome c reduction) by cultured M phi and the modulation of these effects by IFN-gamma and IL-1. Incubation of IL-4 (200 U/ml) with M phi inhibited M phi PMA (100 ng/ml)-stimulated O2-. production by 23% at 24 h, 34% at 48 h, and 70 to 85% at 72 to 96 h. IL-4 similarly inhibited M phi O2-. production in response to zymosan. IL-4 did not affect M phi viability, adherence to microtiter plates, or ability to phagocytose boiled yeast. In comparison with M phi, neutrophil O2-. production was not inhibited after 4 to 20 h incubation with IL-4. When IL-4 was washed out as early as 1 h after the initiation of M phi culture, significant inhibition of O2-. production was observed 4 days later. Sequential addition of either IL-4 or IFN-gamma to cultures demonstrated reciprocal cytokine effects on M phi; IL-4 partially inhibited O2-. production by M phi previously treated with rIFN-gamma whereas rIFN-gamma partially augmented O2-. production by M phi previously treated with IL-4. Because IL-4 has been reported to inhibit IL-1 production, add-back experiments were performed; addition of IL-1 only partly reconstituted O2-. production in IL-4-treated cells. Further characterization showed that although M phi protein synthesis was enhanced by both rIFN-gamma and IL-4 treatment, acid phosphatase, a marker of maturation to the macrophage phenotype, was markedly increased at an earlier time point in IL-4-treated M phi, and correlated with a decline in O2-. production. The ability of IL-4 to suppress M phi O2-. production implicates IL-4 as an important regulator of this aspect of the inflammatory response.     

IgE-dependent cytokine production by human peripheral blood mononuclear phagocytes.

These studies demonstrate the IgE-dependent production of IL-1 beta and TNF-alpha by circulating blood monocytes. IL-1 beta production was demonstrated biologically as the stimulation of proliferation of the cloned IL-1-dependent murine T cell line D10.G4.1 in the presence of a submitogenic concentration of PHA. In a representative experiment, 3H-thymidine uptake increased from 57826 cpm in the presence of supernatants obtained from unstimulated cells to 200774 cpm with supernatants from monocytes stimulated by IgE/alpha IgE immune complexes. By ELISA, IgE complexes increased IL-1 beta production from 0.54 +/- 0.06 ng (per 10(6) monocytes) to 2.60 +/- 0.62 ng (p less than 0.01; mean of eight experiments) and TNF-alpha production from 0.17 +/- 0.10 ng to 3.00 +/- 0.54 ng (p less than 0.01; mean of four experiments). No IL-1 alpha secretion was observed. RNA hybridization analysis demonstrated that IL-1 beta production represented de novo synthesis of the cytokine. Stimulated RNA production was observed after a minimal 1/2-h incubation and was maximal at 2 h. The IgE-dependent secretion of these pro-inflammatory cytokines by mononuclear phagocytic cells may contribute to the inflammation characteristic of allergic responses.     

Expression of stress proteins in human mononuclear phagocytes

The heat shock/stress response is characterized by the induction of several highly evolutionarily conserved proteins during thermal stress, chemical stress, or glucose starvation. It has recently been recognized that members of the stress protein family are synthesized constitutively and subserve functions that are critical to protein folding during intracellular transport. In this study we examined the expression of heat shock/stress proteins in human mononuclear phagocytes, cells dependent on intracellular transport for Ag processing, Ag presentation, generation of reactive oxygen intermediates, and secretion of proinflammatory and antiinflammatory polypeptides. The results indicate that there are distinct patterns in expression of individual members of the highly homologous SP70, SP90, and ubiquitin gene families during different stress states. There is a marked increase in expression of the heat-inducible form of SP70 and SP90 in human monocytes during heat shock. Expression of GRP 78/BiP and GRP 94 increases predominantly during glucose starvation but also increases during heat shock. Ubiquitin gene expression increases during both heat shock and glucose starvation. There is no change in synthesis of the constitutive form of SP 70 or of the ubiquitin activating enzyme E1 during heat shock or glucose starvation. Synthesis of the constitutive form of SP 70 and novel SP 90-like polypeptides increase during endotoxin-mediated inflammatory activation. One intracellular transport process of the mononuclear phagocyte, secretion of specific proinflammatory and antiinflammatory polypeptides, is affected by glucose starvation and by heat shock.     

Glycolipid-dependent interaction between human migration-inhibitory factor and mononuclear phagocytes

It has been previously established in the guinea pig that the response of peritoneal macrophages to migration inhibitory factor (MIF) is enhanced by a macrophage glycolipid and that gangliosides reversibly bind MIF. This suggests that glycolipids function as cell surface receptors for MIF. In this report, it is demonstrated that the response of human peripheral blood monocytes to human MIF is augmented by preincubation of these cells with glycolipidenriched material extracted from the human macrophage-like cell line U937 or human peripheral blood monocytes and with a purified glycolipid from guinea pig peritoneal macrophages. In addition, a mixed ganglioside preparation from bovine brain shows the same effect. In contrast, the pure gangliosides, G_M1 and G_D1a, and glycolipids from the HL-60 cell line, which is a MIF-unresponsive cell line, were not able to enhance the response to human MIF. The specificity of enhancement by particular glycolipids could not be attributed to an increased uptake of only enhancing glycolipids since there was no significant difference between the association of monocytes with radioactive liposomes containing biologically active or inactive glycolipids. Pronase treatment did not affect the enhancing activity of the U937 glycolipidenriched material. Incubation of cells with glycolipids results in enhancement only if done at 37 °C and not at 4 °C. Therefore, the association of lipid with the monocyte surface appears to be dependent on temperature.Further evidence for the receptor nature of these enhancing glycolipids is provided by experiments involving affinity purification experiments. Coupling of bovine brain mixed gangliosides to agarose resulted in a matrix capable of reversibly binding MIF. G_D1a-agarose was inactive in this respect.     

Characterization of mononuclear phagocytes in human CSF using membrane markers.

The purpose of this investigation was to demonstrate those membrane receptor sites on mononuclear phagocytes of human CSF which provide additional evidence for their monocytic origin and function. Using a heterologous system, sheep red blood cells were coated with IgG- and IgM-fraction of the anti-Forssman-antiserum of rabbits. In another series of experiments, sheep red blood cells were additionally sensitized with fresh human serum as a source of complement. The possible inhibitory effect of human IgG on the uptake of red cell antibody complexes was tested. Washed and pretreated sheep red cells were added to different fresh CSF specimens from patients, whose CSF exhibited no conspicious biochemical, serologic or cytologic alterations. The percentage of phagocytizing mononuclear phagocytes was evaluated. When the particular IgG EA reagent described was utilized, most of the mononuclear phagocytes consistently exhibited the IgG- and complement-receptor activity which selectively characterizes blood monocytes and related cells.     

HIV-1 reduces Abeta-degrading enzymatic activities in primary human mononuclear phagocytes

The advent and wide introduction of antiretroviral therapy has greatly improved the survival and longevity of HIV-infected patients. Unfortunately, despite antiretroviral therapy treatment, these patients are still afflicted with many complications including cognitive dysfunction. There is a growing body of reports indicating accelerated deposition of amyloid plaques, which are composed of amyloid-β peptide (Aβ), in HIV-infected brains, though how HIV viral infection precipitates Aβ accumulation is poorly understood. It is suggested that viral infection leads to increased production and impaired degradation of Aβ. Mononuclear phagocytes (macrophages and microglia) that are productively infected by HIV in brains play a pivotal role in Aβ degradation through the expression and execution of two endopeptidases, neprilysin (NEP) and insulin-degrading enzyme. In this study, we report that NEP has the dominant endopeptidase activity toward Aβ in macrophages. Further, we demonstrate that monomeric Aβ degradation by primary cultured macrophages and microglia was significantly impaired by HIV infection. This was accompanied with great reduction of NEP endopeptidase activity, which might be due to the diminished transport of NEP to the cell surface and intracellular accumulation at the endoplasmic reticulum and lysosomes. Therefore, these data suggest that malfunction of NEP in infected macrophages may contribute to acceleration of β amyloidosis in HIV-inflicted brains, and modulation of macrophages may be a potential preventative target of Aβ-related cognitive disorders in HIV-affected patients.     

Endogenous peroxidase activity in mononuclear phagocytes

The diaminobenzidine (DAB) technique has been used to visualize the subcellular localization of peroxidatic enzymes in mononuclear phagocytes. The latter cells are part of the mononuclear phagocyte system (MPS), which includes the monocytes in the bone marrow and blood, their precursors in the bone marrow, and the resident macrophages in the tissues. The DAB cytochemistry has revealed distinct subcellular distribution patterns of peroxidase in the mononuclear phagocytes. Thus the technique facilitates the identification of the various phagocyte types: Promonocytes contain peroxidase reaction in the nuclear envelope, endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi apparatus, and cytoplasmic granules. Monocytes exhibit the reaction product only in cytoplasmic granules. Most resident macrophages show the activity only in the nuclear envelope and endoplasmic reticulum. Furthermore, new phagocyte types have been detected based on the peroxidase cytochemistry. Intermediate cells between monocytes and resident macrophages contain reaction product in the nuclear envelope, endoplasmic reticulum and cytoplasmic granules. The resident macrophages can be divided into two subtypes. Most of them exhibit the pattern noted above. Some, however, are totally devoid of peroxidase reaction. Most studies on peroxidase cytochemistry of monocytes and macrophages agree that the peroxidase patterns reflect differentiation or maturation stages of one cell line. Some authors, however, still interpret the patterns as invariable characteristics of separate cell lines. As to the function of the peroxidase in phagocytes, the cytochemical findings imply that two different peroxidatic enzymes exist in the latter cells: one peroxidase is synthesized in the endoplasmic reticulum of promonocytes and transported to granules via the Golgi apparatus. The synthesis ceases when the promonocyte matures to the monocyte. Upon phagocytosis the peroxidase is discharged into the phagosomes. Biochemical and functional studies have indicated that this peroxidase (myeloperoxidase) is part of a microbicidal system operating in host defence mechanisms. The other enzyme with peroxidatic activity is confined to the nuclear envelope and endoplasmic reticulum of resident macrophages in-situ and of monocytes at early stages in culture. As suggested by the subcellular distribution, the inhibition by peroxidase blockers, and the localization during phagocytosis studies, the latter peroxidase is functionally different from the myeloperoxidase.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)     

Dependence of cell survival on DNA repair in human mononuclear phagocytes.

Mononuclear phagocytes play a central role in the pathogenesis of chronic inflammatory diseases. It is therefore important to define chemotherapeutically exploitable metabolic pathways that distinguish monocytes from other cell types. Blood monocytes do not synthesize deoxynucleotides de novo, and their transformation to macrophages occurs without cell division. Whether or not monocytes can repair DNA damage, and whether or not DNA repair is necessary for their survival, is unknown. The present experiments demonstrate that normal human monocytes, unlike neutrophils, rapidly repair DNA strand breaks induced by gamma-irradiation. Monocyte extracts contain functional immunoreactive DNA polymerase-alpha. DNA repair synthesis in normal monocytes is blocked by aphidicolin, an inhibitor of DNA polymerase-alpha with respect to dCTP. Aphidicolin is also directly toxic to normal monocytes, but has no effect on nondividing lymphocytes or fibroblasts. Compared to most other cell types, monocytes and macrophages have very low dCTP pools, but abundant deoxycytidine kinase activity. This suggests that dCTP derived from salvage pathways is important for DNA repair in these cells. Consistent with this notion, exogenous deoxycytidine could partially protect monocytes from aphidicolin killing. The unexpected toxicity of aphidicolin toward normal human monocytes may be attributable to their high rate of spontaneous DNA strand break formation, to the importance of DNA polymerase-alpha for DNA repair in these cells, and to their minute dCTP pools.     

Cytokine-mediated inhibition of fibrillar amyloid-beta peptide degradation by human mononuclear phagocytes

Vaccination therapy of AD animal models and patients strongly suggests an active role of brain mononuclear phagocytes in immune-mediated clearance of amyloid-beta peptides (Abeta) in brain. Although Abeta uptake by macrophages can be regulated by pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines, their effects on macrophage-mediated Abeta degradation are poorly understood. To better understand this mechanism of degradation, we examined whether pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines affect the degradation of Abeta using primary cultured human monocyte-derived macrophages (MDM) and microglia using pulse-chase analysis of fibrillar and oligomer (125)I-Abeta40 and Abeta42. Initial uptake of fibrillar Abeta40 and Abeta42 was 40% and its degradation was saturated by 120 h in both MDM and microglia, compared with an initial uptake of oligomeric Abeta less than 0.5% and saturation of degradation within 24 h. IFN-gamma increased the intracellular retention of fibrillar Abeta40 and Abeta42 by inhibiting degradation, whereas IL-4, IL-10, and TGF-beta1, but not IL-13 and IL-27, enhanced degradation. Fibrillar Abeta degradation in MDM is sensitive to lysosomal and insulin degrading enzyme inhibitors but insensitive to proteasomal and neprilysin inhibitors. IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha directly reduced the expression of insulin degrading enzyme and chaperone molecules (heat shock protein 70 and heat shock cognate protein 70), which are involved in refolding of aggregated proteins. Coculture of MDM with activated, but not naive T cells, suppressed Abeta degradation in MDM, which was partially blocked by a combination of neutralizing Abs against proinflammatory cytokines. These data suggest that proinflammatory cytokines suppress Abeta degradation in MDM, whereas select anti-inflammatory and regulatory cytokines antagonize these effects.     

Transient expression of type IV collagenolytic metalloproteinase by human mononuclear phagocytes

A type IV collagenolytic metalloproteinase secreted by human monocytes/macrophages has been isolated and characterized. Monocytes isolated from peripheral blood and cultured in vitro exhibited a high type IV collagenolytic activity during the first and second day, but such activity declined markedly over subsequent days. Type IV collagenolytic activity was also transiently elaborated by macrophages isolated from (a) bronchioalveolar lavage of patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis, (b) primary human colostrum, and (c) peritoneal lavage of a patient with peritonitis. In contrast, macrophages isolated from the bronchioalveolar lavage of normal individuals, or from noninflammatory peritoneal fluids, failed to exhibit type IV collagenolytic activity. A type IV collagenolytic neutral proteinase was purified from macrophages isolated from inflammatory peritoneal fluid. The proteinase has a mass of 67 kDa on gel electrophoresis and is not altered in its migration under reducing conditions. It produces a characteristic 1/4-3/4 cleavage of type IV collagen, and its activity is abolished by treatment with EDTA but not phenylmethanesulfonyl fluoride. The isoelectric pH of the proteinase is 5.2 as judged by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. The amino acid composition of the proteinase was notable for a high content of serine, glutamic acid, glycine, and alanine and no detectable hydroxyproline, cysteine, or methionine residues. The carbohydrate content of the proteinase was 11.2%, and galactose was the most abundant monosaccharide (8.7%) released following acid hydrolysis, followed by glucose (1.3%), mannose (1.2%), and trace amounts of fucose and galactosamine. Such a type IV collagenolytic protease may play an important role during the traversal of the vascular basement membrane by extravasating monocytes. The biochemical characteristics and biologic function of the macrophage proteinase may be similar or identical to the type IV collagenolytic proteinase identified in metastatic tumor cells.     

Synthesis and release of platelet-activating factor by stimulated human mononuclear phagocytes

Platelet-activating factor (PAF) is a potent phospholipid mediator that may participate in inflammatory responses by virtue of its ability to activate platelets, leukocytes, and vascular cells. We examined the synthesis and release of PAF by human peripheral blood monocytes (PBM) isolated by countercurrent elutriation. PAF was produced after stimulation by calcium ionophore A23187 (IoA), opsonized zymosan (OpsZ), and PMA with a relative order of potency IoA much greater than OpsZ greater than PMA. The portion of PAF subsequently released from the cell was dependent on the specific agonist, the time of incubation, and the presence of albumin. Under optimal conditions, PBM released 67, 49 and 32% of the total PAF produced in response to IoA, OpsZ, and PMA, respectively. Changes in PAF metabolism were observed in PBM that were examined after short term adherence or differentiation into macrophages. Adherent PBM accumulated and released less PAF than suspended monocytes, and monocyte-derived macrophages produced less PAF than the parent PBM. The ability of monocytes to release significant amounts of newly synthesized PAF from the cell is unusual among human cell types, which in general retain the vast majority of the lipid, and may be of particular pathophysiologic importance.     

Differential antimicrobial activity of human mononuclear phagocytes against the human biovars of Chlamydia trachomatis

The antimicrobial activities of human mononuclear phagocytes against Chlamydia trachomatis were investigated. Phagocytes cultured for 7 days or less were efficiently microbicidal. Almost complete inactivation of organisms from both human biovars was observed after 48 hr of incubation. However, organisms from the lymphogranuloma venereum (LGV) biovar survived in mononuclear phagocytes infected after 8 days or more in culture, whereas those from the trachoma biovar continued to be killed by such cells. Phagocytes cultured as long as 21 days killed the trachoma organisms with the same effectiveness as those cultured for 7 days or less. An ultrastructural study of inoculated phagocytes illustrated phagolysosomal fusion with degradation of organisms from either biovar in phagocytes which had been cultured for 24 hr before infection. Phagolysosomal fusion was not observed in cells which had been cultured for 8 days or more and then infected with LGV. The addition of interferon-gamma to these macrophages partially restored the phagocytes' microbicidal activity for LGV. Furthermore, a synergistic effect was observed when eosinophil peroxidase was added with interferon. Specific antibody failed to neutralize the infectivity of LGV organisms in 8-day or older mononuclear phagocytes. The findings may reflect the differences in disease syndromes between the two biovars, with the trachoma biovar causing more peripheral diseases and the LGV biovar causing a more systemic disease, with lymph node involvement as its main syndrome.