Andres Hidalgo

Chemokine stromal cell-derived factor-1α modulates VLA-4 integrin-dependent adhesion to fibronectin and VCAM-1 on bone marrow hematopoietic progenitor cells

Stromal cell-derived factor-1alpha (SDF-1alpha) is a potent chemoattractant for hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPC), suggesting that it could play an important role during their migration within or to the bone marrow (BM). The integrin VLA-4 mediates HPC adhesion to BM stroma by interacting with CS-1/fibronectin and VCAM-1. It is required during hematopoiesis and homing of HPC to the BM. As HPC migration in response to SDF-1alpha might require dynamic regulation of integrin function, we investigated if SDF-1alpha could modulate VLA-4 function on BM CD34(hi) cells.CD34(hi) BM cells and hematopoietic cell lines were tested for the effect of SDF-1alpha on VLA-4-dependent adhesion to CS-1/fibronectin and VCAM-1, as well as to BM stroma. CD34(hi) BM cells that adhered to VLA-4 ligands after SDF-1alpha treatment were characterized in colony-forming and long-term culture-initiating cell (LTC-IC) assays.SDF-1alpha rapidly (1 minute) and transiently upregulated the adhesion of CD34(hi) BM cells and hematopoietic cell lines to both CS-1/fibronectin and VCAM-1, and to BM stromal cells. The upregulation of VLA-4-dependent cell adhesion by SDF-1alpha targeted primitive LTC-IC as well as committed CD34(hi) cells. SDF-1alpha-triggered enhancement in VLA-4 function was inhibited by pertussis toxin (PTx) and cytochalasin D, indicating the involvement of G(i) protein downstream signaling and an intact cytoskeleton. Instead, activation of p44/42 MAP kinases by SDF-1alpha did not functionally correlate with enhancement of VLA-4-dependent cell adhesion. Modulation of VLA-4-mediated CD34(hi) BM cell adhesion by SDF-1alpha could play a key role in their migration within and to the BM and therefore influence their proliferation and differentiation.

The Chemokine Stromal Cell-Derived Factor-1α Modulates α4β7 Integrin-Mediated Lymphocyte Adhesion to Mucosal Addressin Cell Adhesion Molecule-1 and Fibronectin

The interaction between the integrin α4β7 and its ligand, mucosal addressin cell adhesion molecule-1, on high endothelial venules represents a key adhesion event during lymphocyte homing to secondary lymphoid tissue. Stromal cell-derived factor-1α (SDF-1α) is a chemokine that attracts T and B lymphocytes and has been hypothesized to be involved in lymphocyte homing. In this work we show that α4β7-mediated adhesion of CD4+ T lymphocytes and the RPMI 8866 cell line to mucosal addressin cell adhesion molecule-1 was up-regulated by SDF-1α in both static adhesion and cell detachment under shear stress assays. Both naive and memory phenotype CD4+ T cells were targets of SDF-1α-triggered increased adhesion. In addition, SDF-1α augmented α4β7-dependent adhesion of RPMI 8866 cells to connecting segment-1 of fibronectin. While pertussis toxin totally blocked chemotaxis of CD4+ and RPMI 8866 cells to SDF-1α, enhanced α4β7-dependent adhesion triggered by this chemokine was partially inhibited, indicating the participation of Gαi-dependent as well as Gαi-independent signaling. Accordingly, we show that SDF-1α induced a rapid and transient association between its receptor CXCR4 and Gαi, whereas association of pertussis toxin-insensitive Gα13 with CXCR4 was slower and of a lesser extent. SDF-1α also activated the small GTPases RhoA and Rac1, and inhibition of RhoA activation reduced the up-regulation of α4β7-mediated lymphocyte adhesion in response to SDF-1α, suggesting that activation of RhoA could play an important role in the enhanced adhesion. These data indicate that up-regulation by SDF-1α of lymphocyte adhesion mediated by α4β7 could contribute to lymphocyte homing to secondary lymphoid tissues.

Characterization of TGF-β1-binding proteins in human bone marrow stromal cells

The proliferation and differentiation of haemopoietic progenitor cells is dependent on their close relation with bone marrow stromal cells, which constitute a source of cytokines as well as expressing receptors for both the cytokines and progenitor cell adhesion molecules necessary for regulated haemopoiesis. We have generated human bone marrow stromal cell cultures and analysed the TGF‐β1 receptor components expressed by these cells. [125I]TGF‐β1‐affinity labelling experiments showed the involvement of type I and II receptors in the binding of TGF‐β1, as demonstrated by specific immunoprecipitation of [125I]TGF‐β1–receptor complexes. In addition, large TGF‐β1‐labelled complexes displaying an electrophoretic mobility similar to betaglycan were also observed in these experiments. Endoglin, another component of the TGF‐βreceptor system, was detected by flow cytometry on the surface of cultured marrow stromal cells, and in the human bone marrow stromal cell line Str‐5, and was immunoprecipitated from surface‐iodinated cells. Endoglin on the stromal cells was able to bind TGF‐β1, as demonstrated by specific immunoprecipitation of [125I]TGF‐β1–endoglin complexes using anti‐endoglin antibodies. The results presented provide evidence that bone marrow stromal cells are fully capable of responding to TGF‐β1. Given the important role of TGF‐βas a regulator of the synthesis of cytokines and cytokine receptors, as well as cell adhesion molecules, these data indicate that the binding of TGF‐β1 by stromal cells might represent an important step in the regulation of the proliferation and differentiation of haemopoietic progenitor cells.

Differential Use of Very Late Antigen-4 and -5 Integrins by Hematopoietic Precursors and Myeloma Cells to Adhere to Transforming Growth Factor-β1-treated Bone Marrow Stroma

The very late antigen (VLA)-4 and VLA-5 integrins mediate hematopoietic progenitor cell attachment to bone marrow (BM) stroma. Transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) is a cytokine present in the BM microenvironment that has been shown to regulate the synthesis of adhesion elements in several cell types. We have investigated whether TGF-β1 action on human BM stromal cells affected the adhesion of progenitor cells involving integrins VLA-4 and VLA-5. Two precursor cell lines, pre-B Nalm-6 and the multipotential UT-7, attached to untreated primary stroma and to the human BM stromal cell line Str-5 preferentially using VLA-4. However, treatment of the stroma with TGF-β1 resulted in a significant reduction in the participation of VLA-4 in mediating precursor cell adhesion to stroma and a concomitant increase in the utilization of VLA-5. This effect was not exclusive of normal BM stroma. Treatment with TGF-β1 of stroma from multiple myeloma BM samples produced a substantial increase in VLA-5 use by the myeloma cell line NCI-H929 to adhere to this stroma. The differential use of VLA-4 and VLA-5 correlated with an increase in fibronectin surface expression by stromal cells in response to TGF-β1. Adhesion assays to purified fibronectin using Nalm-6 cells showed a predominant utilization of VLA-4 at low concentrations of this ligand, whereas higher concentrations resulted in a preferential use of VLA-5. These results indicate that regulation of fibronectin expression on BM stromal cells by TGF-β1 results in a modulation of the pattern of integrins used by the precursor and myeloma cells to adhere to BM stroma, which could have important consequences on the proliferation and differentiation of hematopoietic precursor cells as well as on the localization and growth of myeloma cells.