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PubMed1983

Thymocyte and macrophage interactions: separation of murine thymocyte subsets and enrichment of syngeneic cell-responding thymocytes by adsorption to macrophage monolayers.

The spontaneous binding of murine thymocytes to macrophage monolayers was employed to separate thymocytes into macrophage-unbound and -bound subsets, and the functional reactivities of these two subpopulations were examined. Macrophage-unbound thymocytes were found to be enriched in functional subsets reactive to semi-allogeneic and allogeneic stimulating spleen cells by proliferation in mixed leukocyte culture (MLC). Furthermore, macrophage-unbound thymocytes were frequently found to respond to syngeneic spleen cells. This syngeneic proliferative response showed both memory and specificity upon subsequent restimulation and thus seems to represent a syngeneic mixed leukocyte reaction (SMLR). Syngeneic responding thymocytes were also found to produce interleukin 2 when cultured with syngeneic but not allogeneic stimulator cells. In contrast, macrophage-bound thymocytes showed greatly reduced proliferative responses to allogeneic stimulators and no responses to syngeneic stimulators. The macrophage-bound thymocyte subset was not enriched in detectable suppressive activity; proliferative responses of macrophage-unbound thymocytes to either allogeneic or syngeneic cells were neither suppressed nor enhanced when macrophage-unbound thymocytes were added to the cultures. Thus, the macrophage-unbound subset seems to be enriched in functionally mature thymocytes and the macrophage-bound subset appears to be enriched in functionally immature thymocytes. This functional separation of thymocytes by macrophage adherence also correlated well with thymocyte subpopulations separated by bovine serum albumin density gradients; the low density mature thymocytes showed enhanced responses to both allogeneic and syngeneic stimulators, whereas the high density immature cells were unresponsive. This correlation was supported further by binding studies in which T cell tumor lines derived from C57BL/6 mice were used. ERLD tumor cells, which are similar to cortical immature thymocytes in both enzymatic and surface antigenic markers, were found to bind readily to macrophages, whereas both EL-4 and E male G2 tumor cells, with characteristics of mature thymocytes, bound to macrophages poorly. The binding of thymocytes and ERLD tumor cells to macrophages was not genetically restricted. We speculate that thymocyte binding to macrophages may play a critical role during the functional maturation of thymocytes.

Animals↗
PubMed2026

Human iPSC-derived alveolar macrophages reveal macrophage subtype functions of itaconate in M. tuberculosis defense.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) survives within multiple macrophage populations during infection, including alveolar macrophages (AMs) and recruited inflammatory macrophages. In mice, itaconate, produced in macrophages by ACOD1-mediated decarboxylation of aconitate, has direct antimicrobial activity, modulates inflammatory cytokines, and is required for resistance to Mtb infection. The role of itaconate in human macrophages is less clear, and it is unknown whether itaconate mediates distinct effects in macrophage subtypes. Here, we investigated the role of itaconate in macrophages derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), induced by either GM-CSF to resemble AMs (AM-like cells, hereafter ipAM-Ls) or M-CSF to resemble monocyte-derived macrophages (MDM-like cells, hereafter ipMDM-Ls). Both human macrophage types produced substantially less itaconate than mouse macrophages, and ipAM-Ls produced 4-fold less itaconate than ipMDM-Ls. Surprisingly, ACOD1-deficient ipAM-Ls, but not ipMDM-Ls, were permissive for Mtb growth. Moreover, itaconate functioned to dampen the Mtb-induced inflammatory response in ipMDM-Ls, but not ipAM-Ls, affecting both the type I IFN and TNF pathways. These results indicate that itaconate is involved in human macrophage responses to tuberculosis, with distinct roles in different macrophage subsets. These results also show that genetically tractable iPSC-derived macrophages are a useful model to dissect cellular host-pathogen interactions in human macrophages.

Humans↗
PubMed1993

T cell-mediated cognate signaling of nitric oxide production by macrophages. Requirements for macrophage activation by plasma membranes isolated from T cells.

Macrophage generation of reactive nitrogen intermediates (RNI) represents a major effector mechanism in anti-microbial immunity and non-septic inflammatory reactions. The induction of macrophage RNI production has been demonstrated to require at least two signals which in microbial infections can be provided by interferon (IFN)-gamma and lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The current study demonstrates that, in the absence of LPS, T lymphocytes can provide cognate signal(s) which synergize with IFN-gamma in stimulating macrophage RNI production, as evidenced by the ability of plasma membranes from T cell clones to activate IFN-gamma-primed macrophages. Although viable resting T cells can activate IFN-gamma-primed macrophages by an interaction that is antigen specific, plasma membranes from resting T cells do not active macrophages. Plasma membranes from T cells activated by immobilized anti-CD3 were able to effectively induce RNI production in IFN-gamma-primed macrophages. However, in contrast to the antigen-specific interaction of macrophages with viable resting T cells, the activation of IFN-gamma-primed macrophages by membranes from activated T cells does not display antigen specificity. Plasma membranes from activated T helper TH2 and from activated TH1 cells were equally effective in activating IFN-gamma-primed macrophages, suggesting that the dominance of TH1 over TH2 cells in cell-mediated responses involving macrophage effectors is not a reflection of differences in their ability to interact with macrophages but rather is a reflection of their different pattern of cytokine production. These results suggest that the T cell-macrophage interaction involves reciprocal activation of both cells--an antigen-specific activation of the T cells which results in the acquisition of T cell membrane components involved in antigen-nonspecific stimulation of the macrophages.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Tumor necrosis factor and granulocyte macrophage-colony stimulating factor stimulate human macrophages to restrict growth of virulent Mycobacterium avium and to kill avirulent M. avium: killing effector mechanism depends on the generation of reactive nitrogen intermediates.

An avirulent and a virulent strain of Mycobacterium avium were selected on the basis of their growth patterns in human monocyte-derived macrophages. The virulent 7497 M. avium grew progressively in untreated macrophages, whereas the avirulent LR/149 M. avium was killed to a moderate extent by untreated human macrophages (50% of the original infectious inoculum killed 7 days after infection). We set out to investigate the possibility of modulating these growth patterns by cytokine treatment. Application of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) (100 U/ml) led to macrophages restricting significantly the growth of virulent M. avium 7497 (tenfold decrease at 7 days). TNF was also effective at modulating positively the interaction between avirulent LR/149 M. avium and macrophages inasmuch as TNF-treated cells killed 99% of infecting mycobacteria at 7 days. Granulocyte macrophage-colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) (100-10,000 U/ml) treatment led to macrophages being as mycobacteriostatic for virulent 7497 M. avium as TNF-alpha-treated cells (i.e., tenfold reduction in growth). Treatment of macrophages with both GM-CSF and TNF-alpha was shown to have additive effects on bacteriostatic activity on M. avium. The mechanism of killing of avirulent M. avium by TNF-alpha was shown to be dependent on the generation of reactive nitrogen intermediates, as seen by inhibition of effector mechanisms by NG-monomethyl-arginine and arginase. Moreover, there was a correlation between NO2- generation and mycobactericidal activity of macrophages. Addition of superoxide dismutase reversed the killing of avirulent M. avium by untreated or TNF-treated macrophages. This abrogation was also apparent in chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) macrophages, which were inefficient at generating reactive oxygen intermediates. Moreover, macrophages from CGD patients killed avirulent M. avium as efficiently as cells from normal individuals. We conclude from these results that 1) GM-CSF and TNF-alpha, alone or in combination, increase effector functions of macrophages against virulent and avirulent strains of M. avium; 2) reactive nitrogen intermediates seem to be involved in this effector mechanism; and 3) superoxide dismutase protected M. avium against macrophage effector function, seemingly by protecting the bacteria against endogenous superoxide anion. The implications of these findings for host resistance to atypical mycobacteria are discussed.

Arginase↗
PubMed1992

Macrophage inflammatory protein 1 modulates macrophage function.

Macrophage inflammatory protein 1 (MIP 1), initially purified from the conditioned medium of endotoxin-stimulated macrophages, is a low m.w. heparin-binding protein doublet comprising two peptides, MIP 1 alpha and MIP 1 beta. Although native doublet MIP 1 has previously been shown to exert pyrogenic, mitogenic, and proinflammatory effects on other cell types, its actions on its cell of origin, the macrophage, have not been well catalogued. Our study reports several aspects of macrophage function that are modulated by MIP 1. MIP 1 was not directly cytotoxic for WEHI tumor cells, but MIP 1-treated macrophage exhibited enhanced antibody-independent macrophage cytotoxicity for tumor targets. MIP 1 treatment stimulated proliferation of mature tissue macrophages, and this effect was enhanced upon costimulations with either CSF-1 or granulocyte-macrophage-CSF. Thioglycollate-elicited peritoneal exudate macrophages incubated with native doublet MIP 1-secreted bioactive TNF and IL-6, as well as immunoreactive IL-1 alpha, and these effects were enhanced significantly when the cells were costimulated with IFN-gamma. Purified preparations of the recombinantly derived MIP 1 alpha peptide alone stimulated the secretion of TNF, IL-1 alpha, and IL-6 by peritoneal macrophages, but MIP 1 beta did not. In fact, as little as eightfold excess MIP 1 beta blocked TNF-induction by MIP 1 alpha to a significant degree. By contrast to these apparent "macrophage activating" properties of MIP 1, the cytokine failed to trigger the macrophage oxidative burst, or to up-regulate the expression of Ia on the macrophage surface. Taken together, these data reveal that MIP 1 peptides act as autocrine modulators of their cells of origin, and raise the possibility that MIP 1 peptides may play a role in modulating macrophage responses to inflammatory stimuli in vivo.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

MRL/lpr and MRL+/+ macrophage DNA synthesis in the absence and the presence of colony-stimulating factor-1 and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor.

Macrophage accumulation and proliferation as well as altered macrophage properties have been observed in autoimmune MRL mice. To determine whether there might be innate differences in the proliferative responses, we examined the DNA synthesis responses of peritoneal macrophages and macrophages derived in vitro from bone marrow precursors (bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMM)). Murine peritoneal exudate macrophages normally require the addition of macrophage CSF (CSF-1) to enter cell cycle in vitro. In contrast, we have found that many thioglycollate-induced adherent peritoneal macrophages, but not resident peritoneal macrophages, from both MRL/lpr and MRL+/+ mice atypically underwent DNA synthesis even in the absence of added CSF-1. They also responded very well to granulocyte-macrophage CSF. These findings may help to explain the appearance of increased macrophage numbers in MRL lesions. In contrast to a previous report, it was found that MRL/lpr and MRL+/+ BMM did not have an enhanced response to CSF-1 and that modulation of CSF-1 receptor expression was not more rapid in MRL BMM. We also found no evidence for abnormal CSF-1 internalization and degradation or for the lpr mutation to have any enhanced effect on BMM survival in the absence of CSF-1. TNF-alpha lowered the DNA synthesis response to CSF-1 of MRL/lpr BMM rather than enhanced it, as has been reported. Our data suggest that the enhanced accumulation of macrophages in the MRL/lpr kidney cannot be explained by a proposed model of enhanced responsiveness of MRL/lpr BMM to CSF-1, including a contribution by TNF-alpha.

Animals↗
PubMed1981

A study of the influence of the ambient microflora on the structure of lung alveolar macrophages and an ultrastructural comparison of lung and peritoneal macrophages in germ-free and conventionally reared mice.

In order to investigate quantitatively and objectively the influence of the normal microbial flora on the ultrastructure of the alveolar macrophage, three groups of mice were studied stereologically: germ-free (GF), conventionally reared under non sterile isolation conditions (IC), and conventionally reared in an open environment (OC). The alveolar macrophages of GF mice possess a smaller mitochondrial compartment, possibly with fewer organelles, than the macrophages of conventional mice. Other influences of the normal microflora on alveolar macrophage substructure are obscured by the effects of nonmicrobial stimuli such as droplets of lung surfactant. No previous comparison exists of alveolar and peritoneal macrophage ultrastructure. Lung macrophages are larger than the phagocytes of the peritoneum, but the difference in size is much less than is commonly believed. Alveolar macrophages are rounder than peritoneal macrophages, and exhibit much less rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER) as well as differences in mitochondrial morphometry. No difference in mitochondrial volume fraction exists between the two types of macrophage even though alveolar macrophages represent the extreme of aerobic adaptation in the mononuclear phagocyte system. Phagosomes occupy a significant fraction of cellular volume only in the alveolar macrophages. Moreover alveolar phagocytes contain fewer but larger represent the first objective, quantitative structural evidence confirming the common belief that alveolar macrophages experience greater physiological stimulation than peritoneal macrophages. The normal microflora accounts for only a small proportion of the differing degree of stimulation exerted on the two types of macrophage.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

Soluble factor from murine bladder tumor-2 cell elevates nitric oxide production in macrophages and enhances the taxol-mediated macrophage cytotoxicity on tumor cells.

The therapeutic mechanism of taxol is believed to reside primarily in its ability to stabilize microtubules and prevent cell progression through mitosis. Taxol also can activate macrophage-mediated antitumor mechanism through a nitric oxide (NO)-dependent pathway. To address whether any mechanisms account for superficial urinary bladder tumor cell killing, we evaluated the effects of taxol on the growth and viability of murine bladder tumor-2 (MBT-2) cells in vitro, both in the absence and presence of murine macrophages. In addition, we evaluated whether a soluble factor generated from MBT-2 cells could modulate the antitumor activity of the taxol-activated macrophages. Although taxol inhibited the growth of MBT-2 cells, it did not kill the tumor cells. However, preincubation of macrophages with taxol significantly decreased the viability of MBT-2 cells. Secretion of NO correlated with MBT-2 cell killing, and the activated macrophages failed to kill tumor cell targets in the presence of NG-monomethyl-L-arginine, a competitive inhibitor of NO synthase. By the co-culture of macrophages and MBT-2 cells, untreated macrophages also released modest amount of NO and this was synergistically augmented by the treatment with taxol, indicating that MBT-2 tumor cells released some unknown factor that activated the macrophages and enhanced NO production. We named this factor the tumor-derived macrophage activating factor (TMAF). The TMAF-mediated activation of macrophages to enhance the NO production was not blocked by treatment of macrophages with oxidized low-density lipoprotein (Ox-LDL), implying that the scavenger receptor of macrophages is not involved. Sodium nitroprusside (SNP), an NO donor given to the MBT-2 cells, increased the activities of c-Jun N-terminal kinase and caspase-3 in MBT-2 cells and associated with nucleosomal fragmentation or apoptosis, whereas taxol had no direct effect on these parameters. Collectively, our results strongly suggest that taxol kills the murine bladder tumor cells through indirect activation of macrophages via NO-dependent apoptosis, instead of its better-known role as the direct antimitotic action. Our results further demonstrate that TMAF acts in synergy with taxol to activate the macrophages to elicit enhanced tumor cell killing ability.

Animals↗
PubMed1973

Function of macrophages in antigen recognition by guinea pig T lymphocytes. II. Role of the macrophage in the regulation of genetic control of the immune response.

A number of recent studies have suggested that the main functional role of the product of the immune response (Ir) genes is in the process of antigen recognition by the T lymphocyte. The observation in the accompanying report that the interaction of macrophage-associated antigen with immune T lymphocytes requires that both cells share histocompatibility antigens raised the question as to whether the macrophage played a role in the genetic control of the immune response or even if the macrophage were the primary cell in which the product of the Ir gene is expressed. In the current study, parental macrophages were pulsed with an antigen, the response to which is controlled by an Ir gene lacking in that parent; these macrophages were then mixed with T cells derived from the (nonresponder x responder)F(1) and the resultant stimulation was measured. No stimulation was seen when column-purified F(1) lymph node lymphocytes were mixed with antigen-pulsed macrophages from the nonresponder parent. However, when the highly reactive peritoneal exudate lymphocyte population was used as the indicator cells, parental macrophages pulsed with an antigen whose Ir gene they lacked were capable of initiating F(1) T-cell proliferation. The magnitude of stimulation was approximately 1/10 that seen when macrophages from either the responder parent or the F(1) were used. In order to explain this observation, we hypothesize that antigen recognition sites on the T lymphocyte are physically related to a macrophage-binding site and both are linked to the serologically determined histocompatibility antigens. Thus, parental macrophages pulsed with an antigen, whose Ir gene they lack, activate F(1) cells poorly because the recognition sites for the antigen are physically related to the macrophage-binding site of the responder parent while the main contacts between the cells are at the nonresponder binding sites. Experiments performed with alloantisera lend support to this hypothesis. Thus, when parental macrophages are pulsed with any antigen and added to F(1) T cells, an alloantiserum directed against parental histocompatibility antigens reacts with both the lymphocyte and the macrophage and thereby inhibits macrophage-lymphocyte interaction and abolishes antigen-induced lymphocyte transformation. When the alloantisera are directed at determinants present solely on the T lymphocyte, they only inhibit the recognition of antigens controlled by the Ir gene linked to the histocompatibility antigen against which they are directed. We conclude from these studies that antigen recognition by the T lymphocyte is a complex multicellular event involving more than simple antigen binding to a specific lymphocyte receptor.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

Macrophage response to peripheral nerve injury: the quantitative contribution of resident and hematogenous macrophages.

Whereas local microglial cells of the CNS rapidly respond to injury, little is known about the functional role of resident macrophages of the peripheral nervous system in nerve pathology. Using bone marrow chimeric rats, we recently identified individual resident endoneurial macrophages that rapidly became activated after nerve injury. However, the extent of local macrophage activation and its quantitative contribution to the total macrophage response is unknown. We now have created chimeric mice by transplanting bone marrow from green fluorescent protein (GFP)-transgenic mice into irradiated wild-type mice, allowing easy differentiation and quantification of hematogenous and resident endoneurial macrophages. After sciatic nerve crush injury, both GFP(-) and GFP(+) resident macrophages, the latter having undergone physiological turnover from the blood before injury, rapidly underwent morphological alterations and increased in number. Proliferating GFP(-) and GFP(+) resident macrophages were abundant and peaked 3 days after injury. A major lesion-induced influx of hematogenous macrophages with a disproportionate increase of GFP(+) macrophages was not observed until Day 4. Throughout all time points examined, GFP(-) resident macrophages were strikingly frequent, reaching maximum numbers 9.5-fold above baseline. There was also a notable proportion of GFP(-) resident endoneurial macrophages phagocytosing myelin and expressing major histocompatibility complex class II. Our results demonstrate for the first time that the rapid response of resident endoneurial macrophages to nerve injury is quantitatively important and that local macrophages contribute significantly to the total endoneurial macrophage pool during Wallerian degeneration.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Isolation and culture of testicular macrophages from a seasonally breeding species, Phodopus sungorus. Evidence for functional differences between macrophages from active and regressed testes.

We have developed an isolation and cultivation protocol for testicular macrophages from the seasonally breeding Siberian hamster, Phodopus sungorus which allows serum-free culture. Macrophages were isolated from the active testes of adult Phodopus kept in long photoperiod (LD, 18hL:6hD), and from the inactive testes of animals with gonadal regression induced by exposure to a short photoperiod (SD, 6hL;18hD; for 10 weeks). The isolated cells were identified as macrophages by (a) electron microscopy, (b) non-specific phagocytosis, and (c) the presence of Fc-receptors. Treatment of the cultures with oFSH (at 0.5 and 1 micrograms ml-1 for 1 and 4 days) significantly stimulated lactate secretion by testicular macrophages from LD hamsters, as expected from studies in the rat. In marked contrast, oFSH did not affect lactate secretion by testicular macrophages from SD hamsters, or by peritoneal macrophages. To test possible macrophage-Leydig cell interactions, the influence of testicular macrophage-conditioned medium (TM-CM) from FSH-responsive LD macrophage cultures was assessed and compared with the effect of peritoneal macrophage-conditioned medium (PM-CM) on testosterone production by testicular parenchyma from LD hamsters. Unexpectedly, and in contrast to previous reports in rats, testosterone production by testes was inhibited significantly by TM-CM from cultures pretreated with either 0.1 or 0.5 micrograms FSH ml-1. FSH alone stimulated testosterone production (due either to LH contamination or to possible paracrine effects). PM-CM from cultures pretreated with FSH did have an inhibitory effect. It is concluded that: (i) There is indirect evidence for the presence of functional FSH receptors on macrophages from the active testes of Phodopus. (ii) Testicular macrophages from inactive testes of Phodopus are not responsive to FSH, implicating impaired macrophage function in the regressed testes of Phodopus exposed to SD. (iii) Testicular macrophages produce a factor which can inhibit testosterone production by incubated testicular tissue.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Expansive arterial remodeling is associated with increased neointimal macrophage foam cell content: the murine model of macrophage-rich carotid artery lesions.

BACKGROUND: Recent observations associate plaque instability with expansive arterial remodeling, suggesting a common driving mechanism. METHODS AND RESULTS: To demonstrate that macrophages, a characteristic of vulnerable plaques, also assist in expansive remodeling, we compared carotid artery remodeling due to formation of experimental macrophage-rich and macrophage-poor lesions in the flow cessation model in hypercholesterolemic apolipoprotein E knockout (ApoE KO) and wild type (WT) mice. After ligation, macrophages started to rapidly accumulate in ApoE KO but not in WT carotid artery lesions. Macrophage-rich ApoE KO intimal lesions grew fast, typically occluding within 14 days, despite a tripling of the vessel area. Outward remodeling of macrophage-rich ApoE KO arteries positively correlated with macrophage area (r2=0.600, P<0.001). To investigate potential mechanisms of macrophage-enabled expansive remodeling, we compared levels of matrix metalloproteinases in homogenates of macrophage-rich and macrophage-poor carotid arteries. Gelatinolytic activity of macrophage-rich lesions increased faster and reached maximal levels several fold higher than in the macrophage-poor WT lesions. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that macrophages facilitate expansive arterial remodeling through increased matrix degradation by matrix metalloproteinases. This initially favorable remodeling action may eventually increase the vulnerability of macrophage-rich atherosclerotic plaques.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Evidence of macrophage foam cell formation by very low-density lipoprotein receptor: interferon-gamma inhibition of very low-density lipoprotein receptor expression and foam cell formation in macrophages.

BACKGROUND: Expression of the VLDL receptor, primarily in macrophages, has been confirmed in human and rabbit atherosclerotic lesions. The high binding affinity of the VLDL receptor for remnant particles implicates the VLDL receptor pathway in the foam cell formation mechanism in macrophages. This study investigates the effect of interferon (IFN)-gamma on VLDL receptor expression in phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (PMA)-treated THP-1, HL-60 macrophages, and human monocyte-derived macrophages. METHODS AND RESULTS: THP-1 cells were induced to differentiate into macrophages by PMA treatment. IFN-gamma was added to the medium, and expression of the VLDL receptor was determined. (125)I-beta-VLDL degradation study and oil red O staining were examined. In THP-1 macrophages, VLDL receptor protein expression decreased at 2 days after PMA treatment but increased at 3 days and increased up to 5 days. Scavenger receptor proteins, which were not originally present, appeared at 3 days after PMA treatment. IFN-gamma inhibited VLDL receptor expression in a dose-and time-dependent manner in macrophages. However, no inhibitory effect was observed in monocytes. Moreover, IFN-gamma receptor mRNA increased during differentiation to macrophages. (125)I-beta-VLDL degradation study and oil red O staining showed that IFN-gamma significantly inhibited foam cell formation after the uptake of beta-VLDL. LDL receptor-related protein (LRP) and LDL receptor mRNAs were not expressed in macrophages. In PMA-treated HL-60 macrophages and human monocyte-derived macrophages, IFN-gamma also inhibited VLDL receptor expression and foam cell formation by beta-VLDL. CONCLUSIONS: VLDL receptor expression is upregulated during monocyte-macrophage differentiation. IFN-gamma inhibits VLDL receptor expression and foam cell formation only in macrophages. Remnant particles induce macrophage foam cell formation through the VLDL receptor pathway.

Cell Differentiation↗
PubMed1984

Comparison of live human neutrophil and alveolar macrophage elastolytic activity in vitro. Relative resistance of macrophage elastolytic activity to serum and alveolar proteinase inhibitors.

Elastin is an extracellular matrix protein critical to the normal structure and function of human lung. Recently reported data indicate that live human alveolar macrophages can degrade purified elastin in vitro. In this study, we directly compared the elastolytic activity of alveolar macrophages with that of human neutrophils. In the absence of proteinase inhibitors, human neutrophils degrade much more elastin than do human alveolar macrophages. However, macrophages cultured in 10% human serum and in contact with purified 3H-elastin degraded 4.7 micrograms elastin/10(6) cells per 24 h, as compared to less than 1 microgram/10(6) cells/24 h for neutrophils. We observed a similar pattern when the two cells were cultured in human alveolar fluid. We determined that the relative resistance of macrophage elastolytic activity to serum or alveolar proteinase inhibitors was not simply due to phagocytosis of substrate by the larger macrophages. Live macrophages as well as neutrophils degrade 125I-elastin coupled to noningestible sepharose beads. Again in serum-free media, neutrophils degraded eight-fold more elastin than macrophages but only macrophages degraded sepharose-coupled elastin in the presence of 10% serum. Because of these findings, we compared the enzymatic mechanisms of elastin breakdown by macrophages with that of neutrophils. Macrophage elastolytic activity is largely (65-80%) due to a cysteine proteinase(s), at least part of which is Cathepsin B. Approximately half of the cysteine proteinase activity appeared to be expressed at or near the cell surface. These experiments defined two enzymatically distinct pathways of elastin breakdown by human inflammatory cells: the classic, neutrophil derived soluble elastase(s) that is sensitive to serum and alveolar proteinase inhibitors, and a macrophage-mediated pathway that is largely cell associated and relatively resistant to inhibitors. The function of the two pathways depends on the relative excess or deficiency of soluble inhibitors. At inflammatory sites rich in proteinase inhibitors, tissue macrophages may degrade more extracellular matrix elastin than neutrophils. In smokers without antiproteinase deficiency, pulmonary macrophages, which are known to be increased in number, may be the more important cause of elastin breakdown and emphysema.

Cathepsin B↗
PubMed2001

[In vitro interaction between persisting oocysts of Cryptosporidium parvum and murine resident peritoneal macrophages. I. Effect of parasite on macrophage capability for oxidative burst].

Cryptosporidiosis in an opportunistic infection which poses a significant threat to the immunodeficient patients (including people with AIDS). The aim of the present work was to study whether oxidative burst, known as a nonspecific immune response of macrophages, may be modulated in vitro by persisting oocysts of a coccidian pathogen Cryptosporidium parvum. Live oocysts of C. parvum engulfed by murine perithoneal macrophages may persist within the phagosomes and retain their initial morphology for about 7 days following oocyst injection into macrophage monolayer. A short-term interaction of adherent macrophages with C. parvum oocyst suspension for 5-15 min caused oxidative burst in these macrophages. After a while, the intensity of this oxidative burst smoothly decreased to vanish within the following 2-6 h oocyst-macrophage cultivation. Dead oocysts caused no oxidative burst in macrophages. Co-cultivation of macrophages with oocysts for 1.0-1.5 days led to the appearance of macrophages, which had oocysts both contacting the cell surface and existing inside the phagosomes. In these macrophages the oxidative burst in response to the addition of a chemotactic peptide (fMLP) was considerably higher than in uninfected control cells. During a 1-4 day co-cultivation, the degree of oxidative burst caused by fMLP in macrophages containing only phagocytosed oocysts did not differ from that in the non-infected (oocyst-free) control. The data obtained enable us to propose that the products of oxidative burst in macrophages, formed in response to the interaction with C. parvum oocysts, do not kill the oocysts. These can survive for a long time in the phagosomes of macrophages. Such a long persistence of oocysts in phagosomes does not affect the capability of macrophages for oxidative burst in response to the action of fMLP.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

IFN-gamma differentially modulates the susceptibility of L1210 and P815 tumor targets for macrophage-mediated cytotoxicity. Role of macrophage-target interaction coupled to nitric oxide generation, but independent of tumor necrosis factor production.

IFN-gamma primes murine macrophages to render them responsive for triggering by subactivating concentrations of bacterial LPS to mediate nonspecific tumor cytotoxicity. However, IFN-gamma also has direct anti-proliferative effects on transformed cells that serve as sensitive tumor targets for cytotoxic macrophages. We investigated the effects of preexposure of L1210 mouse leukemia and P815 mouse mastocytoma targets to rIFN-gamma on changes in their susceptibility to cytotoxicity by LPS-activated mouse peritoneal macrophages (PM). Co-incubation of inflammatory PM and either L1210 or P815 targets with IFN-gamma and LPS produced a classical synergistic cytotoxicity for both targets over that of IFN-gamma or LPS alone. Similar synergistic augmentation of cytotoxicity occurred when effector PM were preprimed for 24 h with IFN-gamma before testing for cytotoxicity of untreated targets. However, pretreatment of L1210 and P815 targets for 24 h with IFN-gamma (50 U) before assay produced divergent results in that L1210 was more susceptible, whereas P815 was less susceptible to cytotoxicity by LPS-activated macrophages. Similar results were obtained when both macrophages and targets were pretreated separately with IFN-gamma for 24 h before their combined assay for tumor cytotoxicity. Pretreatment of L1210 targets for 1, 4, or 24 h with IFN-gamma produced similar effects on their increased susceptibility to macrophage cytotoxicity. In contrast, P815 pretreated for 1 and 4 h with IFN-gamma showed an early increased susceptibility to macrophage cytotoxicity followed by a decrease after 24 h pretreatment. The pretreatment of L1210 or P815 targets with IFN-gamma before their exposure to LPS-activated macrophages had no effect on the production of TNF. However, there was a corresponding increase in nitric oxide generation by LPS-activated macrophages after their exposure to IFN-gamma pretreated L1210 targets and a decrease in the presence of IFN-gamma-pretreated P815 targets that correlated with their changes in susceptibility to macrophage killing. Nitric oxide generation by macrophages alone in response to LPS was found to be greater than when effector macrophages were exposed to the tumor targets and this was either increased by L1210 or decreased by P815 that had been pretreated with IFN-gamma. Our results indicate that IFN-gamma may act directly and differentially on tumor targets to alter their susceptibility for macrophage cytotoxicity, which was coupled to changes in the generation of cytotoxic nitric oxide, rather than TNF production by the macrophage.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Macrophage development: IV. Effects of blood factors on macrophages from prenatal rat lung cultures.

Effects of colony-stimulating factors M-CSF, GM-CSF, G-CSF, and IL-3 were assessed on cells of macrophage lineage present in organ cultured 14-day prenatal rat lungs. Treatment groups were compared between one another and against control lungs grown on standard medium containing 40% fetal bovine serum without added factors, where a monoculture of macrophages rapidly develops from precursors present at explantation, leading to appearance of a large mature population on the pleural surface outside the lungs. Studies were carried out in living cultures and by light and electron microscopy using peroxidase-coupled isolectin B4 of Griffonia simplicifolia to identify macrophages and their precursors. In the first experiment, 14-day prenatal lung explants (14 + 0 days) containing macrophage precursors but not matured cells were exposed to individual CSFs for 7 days in an attempt to determine whether precursors are committed irrevocably to the macrophage line or can be altered by exposure to factors promoting significant granulocyte development. In succeeding experiments, 4- and 7-day-old cultures (14 + 4, 14 + 7 days) containing matured macrophages were targeted to see whether macrophage survival can be extended beyond expectations in controls and whether mitotic activity is stimulated. Recombinant CSFs were used at dosage levels known to promote colony formation in vitro (200-1,000 CFU/ml). Cultures exposed from prenatal day 14 to M-, GM-, G-CSF, or IL-3 yielded a monoculture of macrophages without exception. Populations developed in the presence of M- or GM-CSF were much larger than in controls or cultures grown with the other blood factors. GM-CSF-exposed cultures produced by far the largest macrophages, among them many multinucleate giant cells. Macrophages developed in the presence of G-CSF were also significantly larger than controls. Growth of the mature macrophage population was greatly stimulated by exposure to M-CSF or GM-CSF but not by IL-3 or G-CSF. Mitotic figures were noted in the coronas of emerged cells surrounding stimulated cultures, compared to none in the controls. Ultrastructurally, macrophages stimulated by M-CSF retained a mature appearance like macrophages in control, IL-3, and G-CSF treatment groups, whereas many in the GM-CSF group became less differentiated. As to long-term survival, a single 14-day explant was grown for 8 days on standard medium (the equivalent date for birth), then placed in a soft agar medium containing M-CSF.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Relationship between macrophage colony-stimulating factor production by uterine epithelial cells and accumulation and distribution of macrophages in the uterus of pregnant mice.

Estrogen and progesterone induce production of macrophage colony-stimulating factor (CSF-1) by uterine epithelial cells, and CSF-1 is produced in the uterus during pregnancy in mice. CSF-1 is a lineage-specific stimulator of macrophage proliferation, chemotaxis, and function. High concentrations of macrophages accumulate in the uterus during pregnancy. Experiments were conducted to determine whether a relationship exists between intrauterine CSF-1 production and the number and distribution of uterine macrophages during pregnancy in mice. The study demonstrated that on day 1 of pregnancy CSF-1 bioactivity levels were high. The number of macrophages in the uterus was also high on days 1 and 2, and macrophages were concentrated at epithelial surfaces. The decrease in CSF-1 bioactivity seen between days 1 and 2 was followed by a decrease in the macrophage concentration. An increase in CSF-1 bioactivity on day 4 was followed by an increase in the concentration of intrauterine macrophages. During the immediate postimplantation period, macrophages were detected primarily in the myometrium and deep endometrium and CSF-1 bioactivity was undetectable. During the second half of pregnancy, when CSF-1 concentrations were very high, the macrophage concentration was also very high and large numbers of macrophages were detected in association with epithelia. The data confirmed the existence of a direct relationship between intrauterine CSF-1 and macrophage accumulation and suggested that macrophages are attracted to epithelial surfaces by CSF-1.

Animals↗