Mari Maeda-Yamamoto

Evidence that IgE molecules mediate a spectrum of effects on mast cell survival and activation via aggregation of the FcεRI

We demonstrate that binding of different IgE molecules (IgEs) to their receptor, FcεRI, induces a spectrum of activation events in the absence of a specific antigen and provide evidence that such activation reflects aggregation of FcεRI. Highly cytokinergic IgEs can efficiently induce production of cytokines and render mast cells resistant to apoptosis in an autocrine fashion, whereas poorly cytokinergic IgEs induce these effects inefficiently. Highly cytokinergic IgEs seem to induce more extensive FcεRI aggregation than do poorly cytokinergic IgEs, which leads to stronger mast cell activation and survival effects. These effects of both types of IgEs require Syk tyrosine kinase and can be inhibited by FcεRI disaggregation with monovalent hapten. In hybridoma-transplanted mice, mucosal mast cell numbers correlate with serum IgE levels. Therefore, survival effects of IgE could contribute to the pathogenesis of allergic disease.

Redundant and Opposing Functions of Two Tyrosine Kinases, Btk and Lyn, in Mast Cell Activation

Protein-tyrosine kinases play crucial roles in mast cell activation through the high-affinity IgE receptor (FcεRI). In this study, we have made the following observations on growth properties and FcεRI-mediated signal transduction of primary cultured mast cells from Btk-, Lyn-, and Btk/Lyn-deficient mice. First, Lyn deficiency partially reversed the survival effect of Btk deficiency. Second, FcεRI-induced degranulation and leukotriene release were almost abrogated in Btk/Lyn doubly deficient mast cells while singly deficient cells exhibited normal responses. Tyrosine phosphorylation of cellular proteins including phospholipases C-γ1 and C-γ2 was reduced in Btk/Lyn-deficient mast cells. Accordingly, FcεRI-induced elevation of intracellular Ca2+ concentrations and activation of protein kinase Cs were blunted in the doubly deficient cells. Third, in contrast, Btk and Lyn demonstrated opposing roles in cytokine secretion and mitogen-activated protein kinase activation. Lyn-deficient cells exhibited enhanced secretion of TNF-α and IL-2 apparently through the prolonged activation of extracellular signal-related kinases and c-Jun N-terminal kinase. Potentially accounting for this phenomenon and robust degranulation in Lyn-deficient cells, the activities of protein kinase Cα and protein kinase CβII, low at basal levels, were enhanced in these cells. Fourth, cytokine secretion was severely reduced and c-Jun N-terminal kinase activation was completely abrogated in Btk/Lyn-deficient mast cells. The data together demonstrate that Btk and Lyn are involved in mast cell signaling pathways in distinctly different ways, emphasizing that multiple signal outcomes must be evaluated to fully understand the functional interactions of individual signaling components.

Positive and Negative Regulation of Mast Cell Activation by Lyn via the Fc∊RI

Aggregation of the high affinity receptor for IgE (FcεRI) induces activation of mast cells. In this study we show that upon low intensity stimulation of FcεRI with monomeric IgE, IgE plus anti-IgE, or IgE plus low Ag, Lyn (a Src family kinase) positively regulates degranulation, cytokine production, and survival, whereas Lyn works as a negative regulator of high intensity stimulation with IgE plus high Ag. Low intensity stimulation suppressed Lyn kinase activity and its association with FcεRI β subunit, whereas high intensity stimulation enhanced Lyn activity and its association with FcεRI β. The latter induced much higher levels of FcεRI β phosphorylation and Syk activity than the former. Downstream positive signaling molecules, such as Akt and p38, were positively and negatively regulated by Lyn upon low and high intensity stimulations, respectively. In contrast, the negative regulators, SHIP and Src homology 2 domain-containing protein tyrosine phosphatase-1, interacted with FcεRI β, and their phosphorylation was controlled by Lyn. Therefore, we conclude that Lyn-mediated positive vs negative regulation depends on the intensity of the stimuli. Studies of mutant FcεRI β showed that FcεRI β subunit-ITAM (ITAM motif) regulates degranulation and cytokine production positively and negatively depending on the intensity of FcεRI stimulation. Furthermore, Lyn-mediated negative regulation was shown to be exerted via the FcεRI β-ITAM.

O-methylated catechins from tea leaves inhibit multiple protein kinases in mast cells.

Tea contains a variety of bioactive compounds. In this study, we show that two O-methylated catechins, (-)-epigallocatechin-3-O-(3-O-methyl) gallate and (-)-epigallocatechin-3-O-(4-O-methyl) gallate, inhibit in vivo mast cell-dependent allergic reactions more potently than their nonmethylated form, (-)-epigallocatechin-3-O-gallate. Consistent with this, these O-methylated catechins inhibit IgE/Ag-induced activation of mouse mast cells: histamine release, leukotriene release, and cytokine production and secretion were all inhibited. As a molecular basis for the catechin-mediated inhibition of mast cell activation, Lyn, Syk, and Bruton’s tyrosine kinase, the protein tyrosine kinases, known to be critical for early activation events, are shown to be inhibited by the O-methylated catechins. In vitro kinase assays using purified proteins show that the O-methylated catechins can directly inhibit the above protein tyrosine kinases. These catechins inhibit IgE/Ag-induced calcium response as well as the activation of downstream serine/threonine kinases such as Akt and c-Jun N-terminal kinase. These observations for the first time have revealed the molecular mechanisms of antiallergic effects of tea-derived catechins.

Immunostimulating activity of a crude polysaccharide derived from green tea (Camellia sinensis) extract.

Green tea extract is well-known to reduce the risk of a variety of diseases. Here, we investigated the immunostimulating activity of tea polysaccharide (TPS), one of the main components in green tea extract. The water extracts from mature or immature tea leaves were precipitated by using ethanol at room temperature. The sediment was washed with ethanol and acetone alternately and then dried. We used the phagocytic activity of macrophage-like cells as an indicator of immune function activation. Chemical components were analyzed by HPLC. The immunostimulating activity of TPS from immature leaves extract was higher than that of TPS from mature leaves, and its activities were dependent on the content of strictinin in the leaf extract. Futhermore, a mixture of catechin and TPS that removed polyphenols did not increase the immunostimulating activity. These results suggest that the catechin-polysaccharide complex is a very important molecule in the immunomodulating activity of tea extracts.

Early Divergence of Fcε Receptor I Signals for Receptor Up-Regulation and Internalization from Degranulation, Cytokine Production, and Survival

Mast cells play a critical role in IgE-dependent immediate hypersensitivity. Monomeric IgE binding to its high affinity receptor (FcεRI) results in a number of biological outcomes in mouse mast cells, including increased surface expression of FcεRI and enhanced survival. IgE molecules display heterogeneity in inducing cytokine production; highly cytokinergic IgEs cause extensive FcεRI aggregation, leading to potent enhancement of survival and other activation events, whereas poorly cytokinergic IgEs can do so less efficiently. In this study, we demonstrate that IgE-induced receptor up-regulation is not sensitive to monovalent hapten, which can prevent receptor aggregation induced by IgE, whereas other activation events such as receptor internalization, degranulation, IL-6 production, and survival are sensitive to monovalent hapten. IgE-induced receptor up-regulation is also unique in that no Src family kinases, Syk, or Btk are required for it. By contrast, highly cytokinergic IgE-induced receptor internalization is dependent on Lyn, but not other Src family kinases, Syk, or Btk, whereas degranulation, IL-6 production, and survival require Syk. Weak to moderate stimulation with IgE plus anti-IgE or IgE plus Ag enhances survival, while stronger signals are required for degranulation and IL-6 production. Collectively, signals emanated from IgE-bound FcεRI for receptor up-regulation and internalization are shown to diverge at the receptor or receptor-proximal levels from those for other biological outcomes.

Metabolomics-Driven Nutraceutical Evaluation of Diverse Green Tea Cultivars

Background Green tea has various health promotion effects. Although there are numerous tea cultivars, little is known about the differences in their nutraceutical properties. Metabolic profiling techniques can provide information on the relationship between the metabolome and factors such as phenotype or quality. Here, we performed metabolomic analyses to explore the relationship between the metabolome and health-promoting attributes (bioactivity) of diverse Japanese green tea cultivars. Methodology/Principal Findings We investigated the ability of leaf extracts from 43 Japanese green tea cultivars to inhibit thrombin-induced phosphorylation of myosin regulatory light chain (MRLC) in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). This thrombin-induced phosphorylation is a potential hallmark of vascular endothelial dysfunction. Among the tested cultivars, Cha Chuukanbohon Nou-6 (Nou-6) and Sunrouge (SR) strongly inhibited MRLC phosphorylation. To evaluate the bioactivity of green tea cultivars using a metabolomics approach, the metabolite profiles of all tea extracts were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). Multivariate statistical analyses, principal component analysis (PCA) and orthogonal partial least-squares-discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA), revealed differences among green tea cultivars with respect to their ability to inhibit MRLC phosphorylation. In the SR cultivar, polyphenols were associated with its unique metabolic profile and its bioactivity. In addition, using partial least-squares (PLS) regression analysis, we succeeded in constructing a reliable bioactivity-prediction model to predict the inhibitory effect of tea cultivars based on their metabolome. This model was based on certain identified metabolites that were associated with bioactivity. When added to an extract from the non-bioactive cultivar Yabukita, several metabolites enriched in SR were able to transform the extract into a bioactive extract. Conclusions/Significance Our findings suggest that metabolic profiling is a useful approach for nutraceutical evaluation of the health promotion effects of diverse tea cultivars. This may propose a novel strategy for functional food design.

Functional analysis of activating receptor LMIR4 as a counterpart of inhibitory receptor LMIR3

The leukocyte mono-Ig-like receptor (LMIR) belongs to a new family of paired immunoreceptors. In this study, we analyzed activating receptor LMIR4/CLM-5 as a counterpart of inhibitory receptor LMIR3/CLM-1. LMIR4 is expressed in myeloid cells, including granulocytes, macrophages, and mast cells, whereas LMIR3 is more broadly expressed. The association of LMIR4 with Fc receptor-γ among immunoreceptor tyrosine-based activation motif-bearing molecules was indispensable for LMIR4-mediated functions of bone marrow-derived mast cells, but dispensable for its surface expression. Cross-linking of LMIR4 led to Lyn- and Syk-dependent activation of bone marrow-derived mast cells, resulting in cytokine production and degranulation, whereas that of LMIR3 did not. The triggering of LMIR4 and TLR4 synergistically caused robust cytokine production in accordance with enhanced activation of ERK, whereas the co-ligation of LMIR4 and LMIR3 dramatically abrogated cytokine production. Notably, intraperitoneal administration of lipopolysaccharide strikingly up-regulated LMIR3 and down-regulated LMIR4, whereas that of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor up-regulated both LMIR3 and LMIR4 in granulocytes. Cross-linking of LMIR4 in bone marrow granulocytes also resulted in their activation, which was enhanced by lipopolysaccharide. Collectively, these results suggest that the innate immune system is at least in part regulated by the qualitative and quantitative balance of the paired receptors LMIR3 and LMIR4.

High-dose green tea polyphenols induce nephrotoxicity in dextran sulfate sodium-induced colitis mice by down-regulation of antioxidant enzymes and heat-shock protein expressions

Previously, we reported that oral feeding of 1% green tea polyphenols (GTPs) aggravated the dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis in mice. In the present study, we assessed the toxicity of 1% GTPs in several organs from normal and DSS-exposed mice. Sixty-two male ICR mice were initially divided into four groups. Non-treated group (group 1, n = 15) was given standard diet and water, GTPs (group 2, n = 15) received 1% GTPs in diet and water, DSS (group 3, n = 15) received diet and 5% DSS in water, and GTPs + DSS group (group 4, n = 17) received 1% GTPs in diet and 5% DSS in water. We found that group 4 significantly increased (P < 0.05) kidney weight, the levels of serum creatinine and thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances in both kidney and liver, as compared with those in group 3. The mRNA expression levels of antioxidant enzymes and heat-shock proteins (HSPs) in group 4 were lower than those of group 3. For instance, heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), HSP27, and 90 mRNA in the kidney of group 4 were dramatically down-regulated as compared with those of group 3. Furthermore, 1% GTPs diet decreased the expression of HO-1, NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1) and HSP90 in kidney and liver of non-treated mice. Taken together, our results indicate that high-dose GTPs diet disrupts kidney functions through the reduction of antioxidant enzymes and heat-shock protein expressions in not only colitis but also non-treated ICR mice.

Integrin αIIbβ3 induces the adhesion and activation of mast cells through interaction with fibrinogen.

Integrin αIIb, a well-known marker of megakaryocyte-platelet lineage, has been recently recognized on hemopoietic progenitors. We now demonstrate that integrin αIIbβ3 is highly expressed on mouse and human mast cells including mouse bone marrow-derived mast cells, peritoneal mast cells, and human cord blood-derived mast cells, and that its binding to extracellular matrix proteins leads to enhancement of biological functions of mast cells in concert with various stimuli. With exposure to various stimuli, including cross-linking of FcεRI and stem cell factor, mast cells adhered to extracellular matrix proteins such as fibrinogen and von Willebrand factor in an integrin αIIbβ3-dependent manner. In addition, the binding of mast cells to fibrinogen enhanced proliferation, cytokine production, and migration and induced uptake of soluble fibrinogen in response to stem cell factor stimulation, implicating integrin αIIbβ3 in a variety of mast cell functions. In conclusion, mouse and human mast cells express functional integrin αIIbβ3.