Complement in the pathophysiology of human disease.
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The mechanisms underlying problematic cardiovascular device-associated infections are not understood. Because the outcome of the acute response to infection is largely dependent on the function of neutrophils, the persistence of these infections suggests that neutrophil function may be compromised because of cellular responses to shear stress. A rotating disk system was used to generate physiologically relevant shear stress levels (0-18 dynes/cm(2); 1 dyne = 10 microN) at the surface of a polyetherurethane urea film. We demonstrate that shear stress diminishes phagocytic ability in neutrophils adherent to a cardiovascular device material, and causes morphological and biochemical alterations that are consistent with those described for apoptosis. Complete neutrophil apoptosis occurred at shear stress levels above 6 dynes/cm(2) after only 1 h. Morphologically, these cells displayed irreversible cytoplasmic and nuclear condensation while maintaining intact membranes. Analysis of neutrophil area and filamentous actin content demonstrated concomitant decreases in both cell area and actin content with increasing levels of shear stress. Neutrophil phagocytosis of adherent bacteria decreased with increasing shear stress. Biochemical alterations included membrane phosphatidylserine exposure and DNA fragmentation, as evaluated by in situ annexin V and terminal deoxynucleotidyltransferase-mediated dUTP end labeling (TUNEL) assays, respectively. The potency of the shear-stress effect was emphasized by comparative inductive studies with adherent neutrophils under static conditions. The combination of tumor necrosis factor-alpha and cycloheximide was ineffective in inducing >21% apoptosis after 3 h. These findings suggest a mechanism through which shear stress plays an important role in the development of bacterial infections at the sites of cardiovascular device implantation.
Using the exogenous substrate [1-14C]oleate-labeled autoclaved Escherichia coli, we have demonstrated that the chemotactic factors fMet-Leu-Phe, complement component C5a, and leukotriene B4 [(5S,12R)-dihydroxy-6-cis,8-trans,11-trans,14-cis-icosatetraenoic acid] stimulate a phospholipase A2 of isolated plasma membranes of rabbit peritoneal neutrophils. Each of the chemotactic factors shows a biphasic concentration dependence with the optimal concentrations occurring at 1, 10, and 0.1 nM, respectively. The specific antagonists of fMet-Leu-Phe binding, carbobenzoxy-Phe-Met and t-butoxycarbonyl-Phe-Leu-Phe, effectively block the stimulation by fMet-Leu-Phe, indicating that the activation is receptor mediated. delta 6-trans-leukotriene [(5S-12R)-dihydroxy-all-trans-6,8,10,14-icosatetraenoic acid], a biologically inactive stereoisomer of leukotriene B4, does not stimulate phospholipase activity, suggesting that the enhancement by leukotriene B4 is also receptor mediated. The unstimulated and activated phospholipase exhibit a broad range of maximal activity between pH 7.0 and pH 8.5, both with an optimal pH of 8.5. The activation of the phospholipase by fMet-Leu-Phe is completely calcium dependent; no increase in activity is demonstrable if fMet-Leu-Phe is added in the absence of exogenous calcium or in the presence of EGTA. In contrast, the unstimulated plasma membrane activity of the phospholipase, as well as the activity arising after stimulation, is relatively insensitive to the concentration of calcium, being inhibited by less than 50% in the presence of 10 mM EGTA. The phospholipase hydrolyzes 1-[1-14C]palmitoyl-2-acyl-sn-glycerophosphoethanolamine to form only radioactive lysophosphatidylethanolamine as the product, indicating that the enzyme has an A2 specificity.
The effect of platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) on agonist-induced activation of the superoxide-generating oxidative burst in human neutrophils was tested. PDGF had no effect on the resting level of superoxide generation but inhibited both the rate and the extent of fMet-Leu-Phe-stimulated superoxide production in a dose-dependent manner. The concentration required to inhibit the response by 50% was 95 +/- 26 pM (n = 10). PDGF also blocked activation by other receptor-mediated agonists such as the complement protein C5a and opsonized zymosan, but not by phorbol myristate acetate or arachidonate, both of which may act at postreceptor sites. The growth factor, however, had no effect on the binding of fMet-Leu-Phe to its receptor. PDGF in concentrations that blocked the oxidative burst stimulated phagocytosis of opsonized latex particles. Thus, PDGF functions as a heterologous "down-regulator" of receptor-mediated activation of the neutrophil oxidative burst and an activator of phagocytosis. A model for a feedback regulatory loop between platelets and neutrophils is proposed.
Two-dimensional 1H NMR investigations were used to locate elements of regular secondary structure in the human complement protein C3a (the des-Arg77 derivative) in solution. The results were compared to a refined crystal structure based on the 3.2-A resolution structure of des-Arg77-C3a [Huber, R., Scholze, H., Paques, E. P. & Deisenhofer, J. (1980) Hoppe-Seyler's Z. Physiol. Chem. 361, 1389-1399]. In excellent agreement with the x-ray data, helices occur in the regions of residues 17-28 and 36-43 in solution. In contrast to the x-ray data, where a third long helix was found from residue 47 to residue 73, the solution data show a shorter helix in the region from residue 47 to residue 66, followed by a transition range at positions 67-70, leading into a six-residue carboxyl-terminal peptide in dynamic random coil conformation. At the amino terminus, a well-defined helix is observed in solution for the residues 8-15 region, which, like the carboxyl terminus, gradually changes to dynamic random coil toward the end of the polypeptide chain. This is at variance with the x-ray data as well, in which residues 13-15 are nonhelical and no electron density could be assigned to the first 12 residues due to disorder.
We used chicken myelomonocytic cells transformed by a temperature-sensitive mutant of the myb/ets oncogene-containing avian leukemia virus E26 to study the regulation of leukotriene (LT) synthesis during macrophage differentiation. Cells exposed to arachidonic acid and the Ca2+ ionophore 23187 produced up to 180 times more LTs at the nonpermissive temperature (42 degrees C) than at the permissive temperature (37 degrees C). Induction of LT synthesis was detectable within 2 hr after temperature shift, whereas conventional macrophage markers became evident after 2-3 days. N-Formylmethionylleucylphenylalanine, opsonized zymosan, and complement factor C5a induced LT synthesis in temperature-sensitive mutant-transformed cells only when the cells were maintained at 42 degrees C, and this effect was blocked by pertussis toxin. When cells were kept at 42 degrees C for 48 hr and then shifted back to 37 degrees C to induce retrodifferentiation, LT synthesis rates declined within 8 hr and reached near control values within 36 hr. Retrodifferentiation also led to decreased LT synthesis in response to N-formylmethionylleucylphenylalanine, opsonized zymosan, and C5a. These results indicate that activation of the 5-lipoxygenase pathway is a very early event in the macrophage differentiation pathway that is directly or indirectly controlled by the temperature-sensitive v-myb protein.
CD43, the major sialoglycoprotein of human leukocytes, whose expression is defective in patients with the Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome, was down-regulated by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) on granulocytes but not on lymphocytes. However, CD43 expressed on both of these leukocyte subpopulations was down-regulated after crosslinking by anti-CD43 monoclonal antibodies, a stimulation that may simulate the effect of a natural CD43 ligand. Soluble, labeled CD43 molecules were isolated from culture supernatants of both surface-iodinated granulocytes activated by PMA and lymphocytes stimulated with anti-CD43 antibodies. Thus, in this case down-regulation represents release from the cell surface into the culture medium, rather than internalization. The apparent molecular masses of the released molecules and of soluble CD43 isolated from human serum were identical. Importantly, PMA-induced down-regulation of CD43 on granulocytes was markedly blocked both by the metalloprotease inhibitor 1,10-phenanthroline and by the serine protease inhibitors N alpha-(p-tosyl)-L-lysine chloromethyl ketone and Pefabloc SC, which inhibit two different classes of proteases, thus indicating that the release is proteolytic.
Ligation of IgG Fc receptors on polymorphonuclear leukocytes causes an increase in the concentration of free intracytoplasmic Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i) which arises from release of intracellular stores but is independent of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate. We found that bromophenacyl bromide (BPB), an alkylating agent which inhibits leukocyte degranulation, adherence, and phagocytosis, inhibited IgG-stimulated increases in [Ca2+]i with an IC50 of 0.2 microM. In contrast, BPB had no effect on inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate-dependent [Ca2+]i increases induced by fMet-Leu-Phe, complement fragment C5a, ATP, or platelet-activating factor. Using a monoclonal antibody specific for BPB, we identified in polymorphonuclear leukocytes a single cytosolic protein of 66 kDa and isoelectric point pH 5.6 which bound BPB when intact cells were treated with the alkylating agent. This BPB-binding protein was identified as l-plastin, a Ca(2+)-regulated actin-bundling protein. l-Plastin was found associated with the Triton X-100-insoluble cytoskeleton in polymorphonuclear leukocytes adherent to immune complexes, suggesting that BPB affects Fc receptor-mediated signal transduction by altering the actin cytoskeleton. Consistent with this hypothesis, both cytochalasin B and cytochalasin D inhibited the IgG-dependent increase in [Ca2+]i, without any effect on fMet-Leu-Phe-induced Ca2+ release. These data suggest that the actin cytoskeleton is essential for signal transduction from plasma membrane Fc receptors and that l-plastin has a critical role in activation of this pathway.
Immune cell function is modulated by changes in extracellular nucleotide levels. Here we used reverse transcription-PCR analyses, single cell Ca2+ imaging, and knock-out mice to define the receptors mediating nucleotide-induced Ca2+ signaling in resident peritoneal macrophages. In Ca2+-free buffer, the potent (K0.5<1 microm) stimulatory effect of UTP (or ATP) on endoplasmic reticulum (ER) Ca2+ release was abolished in cells isolated from P2Y2/P2Y4 double knock-out mice. Moreover, P2Y4(0/-), but not P2Y2-/-, macrophages responded to UTP. In P2Y2-/- macrophages, we could elicit Ca2+ responses to "pure" P2X receptor activation by applying ATP in buffer containing Ca2+. Purified UDP and ADP were ineffective agonists, although modest UDP-induced Ca2+ responses could be elicited in macrophages after "activation" with lipopolysaccharide and interferon-gamma. Notably, in Ca2+-free buffer, UTP-induced Ca2+ transients decayed within 1 min, and there was no response to repeated agonist challenge. Measurements of ER [Ca2+] with mag-fluo-4 showed that ER Ca2+ stores were depleted under these conditions. When extracellular Ca2+ was available, ER Ca2+ stores refilled, but Ca2+ increased to only approximately 40% of the initial value upon repeated UTP challenge. This apparent receptor desensitization persisted in GRK2+/- and GRK6-/- macrophages and after inhibition of candidate kinases protein kinase C and calmodulin-dependent kinase II. Initial challenge with UTP also reduced Ca2+ mobilization by complement component C5a (and vice versa). In conclusion, homologous receptor desensitization is not the major mechanism that rapidly dampens Ca2+ signaling mediated by P2Y2, the sole Gq-coupled receptor for UTP or ATP in macrophages. UDP responsiveness (P2Y6 receptor expression) increases following macrophage activation.
Cells migrating within tissues may encounter multiple chemoattractant signals in complex spatial and temporal patterns. To understand leukocyte navigation in such settings, we have explored the migratory behavior of neutrophils in model scenarios where they are presented with two chemoattractant sources in various configurations. We show that, over a wide range of conditions, neutrophils can migrate "down" a local chemoattractant gradient in response to a distant gradient of a different chemoattractant. Furthermore, cells can chemotax effectively to a secondary distant agonist after migrating up a primary gradient into a saturating, nonorienting concentration of an initial attractant. Together, these observations suggest the potential for cells' step-by-step navigation from one gradient to another in complex chemoattractant fields. The importance of such sequential navigation is confirmed here in a model system in which neutrophil homing to a defined domain (a) requires serial responses to agonists presented in a defined spatial array, and (b) is a function of both the agonist combination and the sequence in which gradients are encountered. We propose a multistep model of chemoattractant-directed migration, which requires that leukocytes display multiple chemoattractant receptors for successful homing and provides for combinatorial determination of microenvironmental localization.
C3a liberated from C3 by treatment with C3 convertase (or by trypsin) induced aggregation of gel-filtered human platelets and stimulated serotonin release. At concentrations of 10(-10) M to 8 X 10(-12) M, C3a induced aggregation when added alone to platelets. However, at lower concentrations (2 X 10(-12) M) C3a did not aggregate platelets directly but exhibited highly significant synergism (two-way analysis of variance P less than 0.0001) with ADP in mediating platelet aggregation and release of serotonin. Removal of the C-terminus arginine from C3a abolished anaphylotoxin activity but did not affect the platelet-stimulating activity of the peptide. C3a and C3a des-arg were equally reactive in mediating platelet aggregation and release of serotonin. Further C3a and C3a des-arg exhibited synergism with ADP of equal significance in both aggregation and the release reaction. The concentrations of C3a required for the platelet-stimulating activity involve relatively small number of molecules per platelet (4,000-10,000 for the synergistic reaction with ADP). These data suggest the possibility of a C3a (C3a des-arg) receptor on human platelets. This premise is strengthened by the demonstration ultrastructurally of C3a on the platelet membrane subsequent to C3a stimulation.
Stimulation of heparinized blood with 1 microM formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (FMLP) resulted in the formation of < 30 pmol/ml plasma of 5-lipoxygenase (5-LO) products. The preincubation of blood with 1 microgram/ml of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) (Escherichia coli 0111-B4) for 30 min before stimulation with FMLP resulted in the accumulation of 250-300 pmol of 5-LO products per ml plasma. The major products detected were leukotriene B4 and (5S)-hydroxy-6,8,11,14-eicosatetraenoic acid which were produced in equivalent amounts. The priming activity was detectable with as little as 1-10 ng LPS per ml blood and was optimal using 1-10 micrograms LPS/ml blood. The priming for 5-LO product synthesis was optimal after 20-30 min of preincubation with LPS and declined at preincubation times > 30 min. The priming effect of LPS was also observed using the complement fragment C5a or interleukin 8 as agonists. Polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) and peripheral blood mononuclear cells accounted for 80 and 20% of the synthesis of 5-LO products, respectively. The ability of LPS to prime isolated PMN was dependent on the presence of plasma and was inhibited by the anti-CD14 antibody IOM2, indicating a CD14-dependent priming mechanism. The priming of whole blood with tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) and LPS was additive and the presence of mononuclear cells did not enhance the ability of LPS to prime PMN, indicating that the priming activity of LPS is independent of LPS-induced TNF-alpha synthesis. The mechanism by which LPS enhance 5-LO product synthesis in PMN was investigated. Treatment of PMN with LPS strongly enhanced the release of arachidonic acid after stimulation with FMLP. The release of arachidonic acid was optimal 2-3 min after stimulation with FMLP, attaining levels 5-15-fold greater than those observed in unprimed cells stimulated with FMLP. These results demonstrate that LPS dramatically increases the ability of blood to generate 5-LO products, and support the putative role of leukotrienes in pathological states involving LPS.
Leukocyte trafficking to sites of inflammation follows a defined temporal pattern, and evidence suggests that initial neutrophil transendothelial migration modifies endothelial cell phenotype. We tested the hypothesis that preconditioning of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) by neutrophils would also modify the subsequent transendothelial migration of T lymphocytes across cytokine-stimulated HUVEC in an in vitro flow assay. Using fluorescence microscopy, preconditioning of HUVEC by neutrophils was observed to significantly reduce the extent of subsequent stromal cell-derived factor-1alpha (SDF-1alpha [CXCL12])-mediated T lymphocyte transendothelial migration, without reducing accumulation. In contrast, recruitment of a second wave of neutrophils was unaltered. Conditioned medium harvested after transendothelial migration of neutrophils or supernatants from stimulated neutrophils mediated a similar blocking effect, which was negated using a specific neutrophil elastase inhibitor. Furthermore, T lymphocyte transendothelial migration was inhibited by treatment of HUVEC with purified neutrophil elastase, which selectively cleaved the amino terminus of HUVEC-bound SDF-1alpha, which is required for its chemotactic activity. The reduction in T lymphocyte transendothelial migration was not observed using a different chemokine, ELC (CCL19), and was not reversed by replenishment of SDF-1alpha, indicating endothelial retention of the inactivated chemokine. In summary, transmigrating neutrophils secrete localized elastase that is protected from plasma inhibitors, and thereby modulate trafficking of other leukocyte subsets by altering the endothelial-associated chemotactic activities.
Chemoattractants induce neutrophil polarization through localized polymerization of F-actin at the leading edge. The suppression of rear and lateral protrusions is required for efficient chemotaxis and involves the temporal and spatial segregation of signaling molecules. We have previously shown that the intracellular calcium-dependent protease calpain is required for cell migration and is involved in regulating neutrophil chemotaxis. Here, we show that primary neutrophils and neutrophil-like HL-60 cells express both calpain 1 and calpain 2 and that chemoattractants induce the asymmetric recruitment of calpain 2, but not calpain 1, to the leading edge of polarized neutrophils and differentiated HL-60 cells. Using time-lapse microscopy, we show that enrichment of calpain 2 at the leading edge occurs during early pseudopod formation and that its localization is sensitive to changes in the chemotactic gradient. We demonstrate that calpain 2 is recruited to lipid rafts and that cholesterol depletion perturbs calpain 2 localization, suggesting that its enrichment at the front requires proper membrane organization. Finally, we show that catalytic activity of calpain is required to limit pseudopod formation in the direction of chemoattractant and for efficient chemotaxis. Together, our findings identify calpain 2 as a novel component of the frontness signal that promotes polarization during chemotaxis.
Transient neutrophil aggregation is reported in a case of infectious mononucleosis. The phenomenon was observed on a blood film patient just before splenic infarction and decreased after splenectomy. The aggregation was so important that differential blood count could not be done. A high serum level of circulating immune complexes was found, and fluorescent spots inside of granulocytes, presumably engulfed immune complexes, could be observed. It is suggested that C activation associated with high immune complexes in infectious mononucleosis is a possible pathogenetic mechanism inducing PMNs aggregation and immune tissue damage.
Complement activation and anaphylatoxin formation were studied in 28 patients undergoing aortic reconstructive surgery under general anaesthesia. In 12 of the patients an extradural catheter was placed in the L1-2 space and 2% mepivacaine was injected until blockade reached the T4 level. The remaining 16 patients were operated upon under general anaesthesia alone. Complement activation was not obvious until aortic cross-clamping. The release of anaphylatoxin was less pronounced during cross-clamping in the extradural group.
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Treating the septic shock syndrome with antibodies that block only endotoxin has its limitations. Other targets for treating septic shock include neutralizing antibodies to the complement fragment C5a, platelet-activating factor antagonists, and blockade of endothelial cell leukocyte adhesion molecules. Specific blockade of the proinflammatory cytokines interleukin-1 (IL-1) or tumor necrosis factor (TNF) reduces the morbidity and mortality associated with septic shock. Moreover, blocking IL-1 and TNF likely has uses in treating diseases other than septic shock. Use of neutralizing antibodies to TNF or to IL-1 receptors have reduced the consequences of infection and inflammation, including lethal outcomes in animal models. The IL-1 receptor antagonist, a natural-occurring cytokine, blocks shock and death due to Escherichia coli and ameliorates a variety of inflammatory diseases. Soluble TNF and IL-1 surface receptors, which bind their respective cytokines, also ameliorate disease processes. Current clinical trials are evaluating the safety and efficacy of these anticytokine therapies either alone or together.