John R. Hoidal

Proteinase 3. A distinct human polymorphonuclear leukocyte proteinase that produces emphysema in hamsters.

Studies were designed to explore the possibility that human polymorphonuclear leukocyte granule constituents in addition to elastase (HLE) had the potential to cause emphysema. A two-step purification of three serine proteinases was developed. Granule extract proteins were initially separated by dye-ligand affinity chromatography. Fractions eluted were divided into four pools. Hamsters were given a single intratracheal instillation of saline +/- 0.1 mg protein of each pool. While pool 2 contained HLE and cathepsin G, the most dramatic bullous emphysema developed in animals treated with pool 4. The esterase from pool 4, designated proteinase 3 (PR-3) was purified, characterized in vitro, and tested for its ability to cause emphysema. PR-3 is a neutral serine proteinase with isoenzyme forms. Its ability to degrade elastin at pH 6.5 is slightly greater than that of HLE, but it is less active than HLE at pH 7.4 or 8.9. PR-3 has weak activity against azocasein. Its ability to degrade hemoglobin is intermediate to that of HLE and cathepsin G at pH 7.4. PR-3 has no activity against chromogenic substrates specific for HLE or cathepsin G. Its pI is substantially less than HLE or cathepsin G. It is also immunologically distinct from HLE. It induces emphysema in hamsters commensurate with that of HLE. We conclude that PR-3 may be important in the pathogenesis of human emphysema.

Lung T Cells in Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis

Monoclonal antibodies OKT3 (all T cells), OKT4 (T-helper/inducer), and OKT8 (T-suppressor/cytotoxic) were used to determine surface phenotypes of bronchoalveolar lavage and peripheral blood lymphocytes in patients with chronic hypersensitivity pneumonitis. Similar studies were done in asymptomatic pigeon breeders, patients with sarcoidosis, and nonsmoking controls. Increased numbers of lavage T cells were found in patients with hypersensitivity pneumonitis and sarcoidosis and in asymptomatic pigeon breeders. The predominant T-cell subset in patients with hypersensitivity pneumonitis and in asymptomatic pigeon breeders was T8 +; in contrast, the predominant subset in those with sarcoidosis was T4 +. Peripheral blood T-cell subsets were normal in all groups. Thus, most lung T lymphocytes in chronic hypersensitivity pneumonitis belong to the T8 + subset; the local cellular immune response in hypersensitivity pneumonitis and sarcoidosis are different; and the pattern of alveolitis, as determined by bronchoalveolar lavage, is not the sole determinant of lung impairment after exposure to hypersensitivity pneumonitis antigens.

Phagocytosis by polymorphonuclear leukocytes of Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa adherent to plastic, agar, or glass☆

Phagocytic cells may encounter bacteria in vivo that are stationary or adherent to a surface. In this study, recently developed in vitro techniques were adapted to evaluate the interaction of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) with adherent Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. By measuring the uptake of radiolabeled bacteria, we found that normal human PMN readily phagocytize these organisms when they are attached to plastic or when they are grown on the surface of nutrient agar. Bacteria adherent to glass elicited a chemiluminescent response, and such organisms were phagocytized and killed by PMN. Opsonization of S. aureus and P. aeruginosa was not required for surface phagocytosis, chemiluminescence, or killing. These new methods should allow evaluation of certain biological and clinical aspects of surface phagocytosis in host defense.

Opsonin-independent phagocytosis of surface-adherent bacteria by human alveolar macrophages

Opsonin‐independent mechanisms of phagocytosis may be important in host defense of certain body sites such as the lung, in this study, one such mechanism, “surface phagocytosis,” was investigated by measuring the uptake of unopsonized [3H]‐labeled Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa adherent to a plastic surface by human alveolar macrophages (AM) and peripheral blood polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN). Efficient uptake of unopsonized bacteria by both cell types was observed. Electron microscopic studies suggested that the manner in which these cell types encounter adherent bacteria is different. While AM appear to gather in organisms at their periphery as they spread out upon the underlying substrate, PMN seem to sweep bacteria up as they move along the plastic surface. Bacterial killing determined by a fluorochrome microassay was decreased by AM compared to PMN. Although the precise mechanism whereby phagocytes recognize unopsonized bacteria adherent to a surface remains to be determined, this aspect of phagocytic cell function may prove to have clinical relevance.

Elastolytic activity in the lungs of rats exposed to cadmium aerosolization

Abstract Rats were exposed for 1 hr per day for up to 35 days to an aerosol of 0.1% cadmium chloride. At periodic intervals, animals were sacrificed and their lungs lavaged. The lung lavage fluid was examined for polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) and alveolar macrophages (AM). A portion of the cells of the lavage fluid was lysed, and the remainder of the cells were cultured. The lavage fluids, cell lysates, and conditioned media were assayed for elastolytic activity in the presence and absence of a peptide chloromethyl ketone and EDTA. Exposure to cadmium evoked a biphasic cellular response characterized by an initial influx (1–3 days) of PMN followed by a gradual increase in AM. This biphasic cellular response was accompanied by a shift in the type of elastolytic activity which was present in the lung lavage and its cellular components. The initial PMN phase was accompanied by the enhanced production of an elastase inhibited only by the peptide chloromethyl ketone, while the subsequent AM phase was associated with an elastase activity which was inhibited only by EDTA. The possible implication of these results with respect to the pathogenesis of emphysema is considered.