The Fc-receptor III of cultured human monocytes. Structural similarity with FcRIII of natural killer cells and role in the extracellular lysis of sensitized erythrocytes

FcRIII is not present on peripheral blood monocytes, but becomes expressed upon culturing and can be demonstrated on tissue macrophages. We studied the expression of FcRIII of cultured monocytes in detail and compared its structure with FcRIII of neutrophils and NK cells. The cell density of FcRIII reached a plateau within 3 days of culturing. During that time, the expression of FcRI and FcRIIa, also present on monocytes, did not change significantly. FcRIII on cultured monocytes lacked, as did NK cell FcRIII, the NA1-allotypic variant of the NA system present on the neutrophil FcRIII. Studies with glycosyl-phosphatidyl-inositol-specific phospholipase C and analysis of cells of patients with paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria revealed that FcRIII on cultured monocytes is not anchored by phosphatidyl-inositol-glycan in the cell membrane. Similarly, FcRIII on NK cells was resistant to glycosyl-phosphatidyl-inositol-specific phospholipase C treatment, suggesting that NK cell FcRIII is also not anchored by a phosphatidyl-inositol-glycan moiety, in contrast to neutrophil FcRIII. Analysis by SDS-PAGE showed that the FcRIII of cultured monocytes had a similar mobility as the FcRIII on NK cells, but was clearly distinct from neutrophil FcRIII. Treatment with N-glycanase showed that the protein backbone of deglycosylated FcRIII of cultured monocytes was similar to that of FcRIII of NK cells, but deglycosylated neutrophil FcRIII was different. Specific blocking of FcRIII of cultured monocytes with an anti-FcRIII mAb did not reduced the lytic action of the cultured monocytes towards sensitized erythrocytes. However, FcRIII was modulated from the cell surface by incubation with sensitized E, whereas non-FcR Ag were not. These findings indicate that FcRIII is involved in binding of immune complexes, but does not act as a trigger molecule for extracellular lysis of sensitized E.     

Structural basis for the platelet-collagen interaction: the smallest motif within collagen that recognizes and activates platelet Glycoprotein VI contains two glycine-proline-hydroxyproline triplets

Collagen-related peptide is a selective agonist for the platelet collagen receptor Glycoprotein VI. The triple helical peptide contains ten GPO triplets/strand (single letter amino acid nomenclature, where O is hydroxyproline) and so over-represents GPO compared with native collagen sequence. To investigate the ability of Glycoprotein VI to recognize GPO triplets in a setting more representative of the collagens, we synthesized a set of triple helical peptides containing fewer GPO triplets, varying their number and spacing within an inert (GPP)n backbone. The adhesion of recombinant human Glycoprotein VI ectodo-main, like that of human platelets, to these peptides increased with their GPO content, and platelet adhesion was abolished by the specific anti-Glycoprotein VI-blocking antibody, 10B12. Platelet aggregation and protein tyrosine phosphorylation were induced only by cross-linked peptides and only those that contained two or more GPO triplets. Such peptides were less potent than cross-linked collagen-related peptide. Our data suggest that both the sequences GPOGPO and GPO.........GPO represent functional Glycoprotein VI recognition motifs within collagen. Furthermore, we propose that the (GPO)4 motif can support simultaneous binding of two glycoprotein VI molecules, in either a parallel or anti-parallel stacking arrangement, which could play an important role in activation of signaling.     

Vasoconstrictor effects of insulin in skeletal muscle arterioles are mediated by ERK1/2 activation in endothelium

Insulin exerts both NO-dependent vasodilator and endothelin-dependent vasoconstrictor effects on skeletal muscle arterioles. The intracellular enzymes 1-phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3-kinase) and Akt have been shown to mediate the vasodilator effects of insulin, but the signaling molecules involved in the vasoconstrictor effects of insulin in these arterioles are unknown. Our objective was to identify intracellular mediators of acute vasoconstrictor effects of insulin on skeletal muscle arterioles. Rat cremaster first-order arterioles (n=40) were isolated, and vasoreactivity to insulin was studied using a pressure myograph. Insulin induced dose-dependent vasoconstriction of skeletal muscle arterioles (up to -22 +/- 3% of basal diameter; P <0.05) during PI3-kinase inhibition with wortmannin (50 nmol/l). Insulin-induced vasoconstriction was abolished by inhibition of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) with PD-98059 (40 micromol/l). In addition, inhibition of ERK1/2 without PI3-kinase inhibition uncovered insulin-mediated vasodilatation in skeletal muscle arterioles (up to 37 +/- 10% of baseline diameter; P <0.05). Effects of insulin on ERK1/2 activation in arterioles were then investigated by Western blot analysis. Insulin induced a transient 2.4-fold increase in ERK1/2 phosphorylation (maximal at approximately 15 min) in skeletal muscle arterioles (P <0.05). Removal of the arteriolar endothelium abolished insulin-induced vasoconstriction, which suggests that activation of ERK1/2 in endothelial cells is involved in acute insulin-mediated vasoconstriction. To investigate this, acute effects of insulin on ERK1/2 phosphorylation were studied in human microvascular endothelial cells. In support of the findings in skeletal muscle arterioles, insulin induced a 1.9-fold increase in ERK1/2 phosphorylation (maximal at approximately 15 min) in microvascular endothelial cells (P <0.05). We conclude that acute vasoconstrictor effects of insulin in skeletal muscle arterioles are mediated by activation of ERK1/2 in endothelium. This ERK1/2-mediated vasoconstrictor effect antagonizes insulin-induced, PI3-kinase-dependent vasodilatation in skeletal muscle arterioles. These findings provide a novel mechanism by which insulin may determine blood flow and glucose disposal in skeletal muscle.     

Streptococcus alactolyticus is the dominating culturable lactic acid bacterium species in canine jejunum and feces of four fistulated dogs

Canine intestinal lactic acid bacterium (LAB) population in four fistulated dogs was cultured and enumerated using MRS agar. LAB levels ranging from 1.4x10(6) to 1.5x10(7) CFU ml(-1) were obtained in jejunal chyme. In the fecal samples 7.0x10(7) and 2.0x10(8) CFU g(-1) were detected. Thirty randomly selected isolates growing in the highest sample dilutions were identified to species level using numerical analysis of 16S and 23S rDNA restriction fragment length polymorphism patterns (ribotyping) and 16S rDNA sequence analysis. According to these results, Streptococcus alactolyticus was the dominant culturable LAB species in both feces and jejunal chyme. In addition, Lactobacillus murinus and Lactobacillus reuteri were detected.     

Microbiota Composition of the Intestinal Mucosa: Association with Fecal Microbiota?

The fecal and mucosal microbiota of infants with rectal bleeding and the fecal microbiota of healthy age-matched controls were investigated by fluorescent in situ hybridization. Bifidobacteria were the main genus in both the feces and mucosa. The other genera tested, Bacteroides, Clostridium, Escherichia coli and lactobacilli/enterococci, represented only minor constituents. No differences in fecal microbiota were observed between patients and controls. In the patients, however, four times greater numbers of bifidobacteria were observed in the feces when compared to the mucosa. Notwithstanding this difference, a strong positive correlation prevailed for bifidobacteria in feces and mucosal samples. The genera assessed accounted for 16% of total bacterial counts on mucosal samples and for 47% of total bacterial counts in feces. This indicates that the unidentified part of the microbiota, especially on the mucosa, deserves more attention.     

Stimulation of the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines by Bifidobacterium strains

To characterize the ability of bifidobacteria to affect the production of macrophage-derived cytokines, a murine macrophage-like cell line, J774.1, was cultured in the presence of 27 strains of heat-inactivated bifidobacteria. Bifidobacterium adolescentis and B. longum, known as adult-type bifidobacteria, induced significantly more pro-inflammatory cytokine secretion, IL-12 and TNF-alpha, by J774.1 cells, than did the infant-type bifidobacteria, B. bifidum, B. breve, and B. infantis (P<0.01). In contrast, B. adolescentis did not stimulate the production of anti-inflammatory IL-10 from J774.1 cells as the other tested bacteria did. The results suggest that the adult-type bifidobacteria, especially B. adolescentis, may be more potent to amplify but less able to down-regulate the inflammatory response.     

The mucus binding of Bifidobacterium lactis Bb12 is enhanced in the presence of Lactobacillus GG and Lact. delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus

The ability to adhere to mucosal surfaces is related to many probiotic health effects. In the presence of Lactobacillus GG or Lact. bulgaricus, the adhesion of Bifidobacterium lactis Bb12 to a mucus model was more than doubled. Other tested lactobacilli did not affect the adhesion, nor was the adhesion of the lactobacilli influenced by the bifidobacteria. Co-aggregation between Bif. lactis Bb12 and the tested lactobacilli was insignificant and does not explain the observed effect. The results suggest that combinations of probiotics strains may have synergistic adhesion effects. Such specific strain combinations should also be assessed in clinical studies.     

Effect of starch- and lipid-based encapsulation on the culturability of two Bifidobacterium longum strains

AIMS: To assess the applicability of starch- and lipid-based encapsulation methods for improving the viability and culturability of two Bifidobacterium longum strains stored in fermented and nonfermented foods. MATERIALS AND RESULTS: Cells were encapsulated with partially hydrolysed potato starch granules combined with amylose coating, or entrapped in cocoa butter matrix. The tested B. longum strains were not adherent to the starch granules, and the culturability of the cells stored in fermented and nonfermented foods was not improved by starch-based encapsulation. Encapsulation of the cells in cocoa butter was found to increase the plate counts during storage. In addition to plate counts, viability of the cells was measured by fluorescent microscopy using LIVE/DEAD BacLight viability assay. Microscopic counts of the viable cells did not change significantly during storage, suggesting that the cells remained alive despite becoming unable to grow on nutrient agar plates. CONCLUSIONS: Encapsulation with cocoa butter increased the culturability of the cells, but encapsulation with hydrolysed potato starch had no effect. Culture-independent viability assay suggested that cells remained viable despite being unable to grow on agar plates. SIGNIFICANCE AND THE IMPACT OF THE STUDY: This study indicates that encapsulation techniques may be useful in improving the culturability of bacteria, but the plate counts may yield insufficient data on the actual viability of the cells.