Pedro Lastres

Characterization of progressive periodontal lesions in chronic periodontitis patients: levels of chemokines, cytokines, matrix metalloproteinase‐13, periodontal pathogens and inflammatory cells

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Periodontitis is an infection with an episodic nature of tissue support destruction. The aim of this work was to determine the levels of chemokines, cytokines, matrix metalloproteinase-13, periodontal pathogens and inflammatory cells in periodontal sites characterized by active periodontal connective tissue destruction. MATERIAL AND METHOD Fifty-six patients with moderate or advanced severity of chronic periodontitis were selected. Periodontitis was characterized by at least six sites with probing depth > or =5 mm, clinical attachment level > or =3 mm and radiographic bone loss. Periodontitis progression was determined by the tolerance method. Receptor activator for nuclear factor kappa B-ligand (RANK-L), monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), IL-1beta, MMP-13, Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Tannerella forsithia and inflammatory cells levels were determined. Statistical analysis was performed using the Stata 7.0 software. Data were expressed as mean+/-SD and paired samples t-test and chi(2) tests were used. RESULTS Higher RANK-L, IL-1beta and MMP-13 activity levels were observed in active sites (p<0.05). The proportion of P. gingivalis, A. actinomycetemcomitans, T. forsythia and the number of CD4(+) T were higher in active than in inactive sites (p>0.05). CONCLUSION The detection of periodontopathic bacteria, host matrix metalloproteinases and cytokines in periodontitis patients with lesions undergoing episodic attachment loss could partially explain the mechanisms associated with the destruction of the supporting tissues of the tooth.

Endoglin overexpression modulates cellular morphology, migration, and adhesion of mouse fibroblasts

Endoglin is the gene mutated in hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia type 1 (HHT1), a dominantly inherited vascular disorder. Endoglin glycoprotein is a component of the transforming growth factor type beta (TGF-beta) receptor system which is highly expressed by endothelial cells, and at lower levels on fibroblasts and smooth muscle cells, suggesting the involvement of these lineages in the HHT1 vascular dysplasia. Overexpression of endoglin in mouse NCTC929 fibroblasts led to decreased migration in chemotactic and wound healing assays, as well as changes in the cellular morphology. When plated on uncoated surfaces, endoglin transfectants formed intercellular clusters, endoglin being not specifically localized to the cell-cell junctions, but homogenously distributed on the cellular surface. Although the expression of alpha5beta1 integrin and of an activation epitope of beta1 integrin were unchanged, a polyclonal antibody to alpha5beta1 integrin was able to inhibit cluster formation, suggesting the involvement of integrin ligand/s. In fact, coating with fibronectin, laminin, or an RGD-containing 80 kDa fragment of fibronectin were able to prevent the cellular clustering. Furthermore, synthesis of plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1), and to a weak extent that of fibronectin, were inhibited in endoglin transfectants. Thus, the presence of endoglin in mouse NCTC929 fibroblasts is associated with reduced production of certain extracellular matrix (ECM) components, which might explain their altered morphology, migration and intercellular cluster formation.

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.

Endoglin, a component of the TGF‐β receptor system, is a differentiation marker of human choriocarcinoma cells

Endoglin is an integral membrane glycoprotein that binds transforming growth factor‐β1 (TGF‐β1) with high affinity and it is strongly expressed on syncytiotrophoblasts throughout pregnancy. Here, we describe the expression of endoglin by the choriocarcinoma cell line JAR as evidenced by flow cytometry, immunoprecipitation, Western blot and reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction analyses. Cross‐linking experiments of [125I]‐labeled TGF‐β1 to JAR cells indicated that endoglin expressed at the surface of these cells binds TGF‐β. Furthermore, staining of human choriocarcinoma tissue sections with a polyclonal antibody to endoglin demonstrated a high expression of endoglin in syncytiotrophoblast‐like areas, as opposed to a negative staining of cytotrophoblast‐like cells. This pattern of endoglin expression was confirmed by experiments with methotrexate, an inducer of giant, multinucleated, non‐proliferative cells, morphologically indistinguishable from the naturally occurring syncytiotrophoblasts. Thus, treatment of the JAR and JEG‐3 choriocarcinoma cell lines with methotrexate led to an increase in endoglin expression, as demonstrated by Western and Northern blot analyses. Taken together, our results suggest that endoglin, in addition to being involved in placental development, may also be a cellular differentiation marker. Int. J. Cancer 76:541–546, 1998.© 1998 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.

Endoglin is expressed in the chicken vasculature and is involved in angiogenesis

Endoglin is a component of the transforming growth factor β (TGF‐β) receptor complex, highly expressed by endothelial cells. Mutations in the endoglin gene are responsible for hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia type 1 (HHT1), an autosomal dominant vascular disorder caused by a haploinsufficiency mechanism. Vascular lesions (telangiectasia and arteriovenous malformations) in HHT1 are associated with loss of the capillary network, suggesting the involvement of endoglin in vascular repair processes. Using the chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) as an angiogenic model, we have analyzed the expression and function of chicken endoglin. A pan‐specific polyclonal antibody (pAb) recognized chicken endoglin as demonstrated by immunostaining and Western blot analysis. In ovo treatment of chicken embryos with this pAb resulted in a significantly increased area of CAM. This effect was likely mediated by modulation of the ligand binding to endoglin as this pAb was able to inhibit TGF‐β1 binding. These results support the involvement of endoglin in the angiogenic process.

L718P mutation in the membrane-proximal cytoplasmic tail of β3 promotes abnormal αIIbβ3 clustering and lipid microdomain coalescence, and associates with a thrombasthenia-like phenotype

Background Support for the role of transmembrane and membrane-proximal domains of αIIbβ3 integrin in the maintenance of receptor low affinity comes from mutational studies showing that activating mutations can induce constitutive bi-directional transmembrane signaling. Design and Methods We report the functional characterization of a mutant αIIbβ3 integrin carrying the Leu718Pro mutation in the membrane-proximal region of the β3 cytoplasmic domain, identified in heterozygosis in a patient with a severe bleeding phenotype and defective platelet aggregation and adhesion. Results Transiently transfected cells expressed similar levels of normal and mutant αIIbβ3, but surface expression of mutant αvβ3 was reduced due to its retention in intracellular compartments. Cells stably expressing mutant αIIbβ3 showed constitutive binding to soluble multivalent ligands as well as spontaneous fibrinogen-dependent aggregation, but their response to DTT was markedly reduced. Fibrinogen-adherent cells exhibited a peculiar spreading phenotype with long protrusions. Immunofluorescence analysis revealed the formation of αIIbβ3 clusters underneath the entire cell body and the presence of atypical high-density patches of clustered αIIbβ3 containing encircled areas devoid of integrin that showed decreased affinity for the fluorescent lipid analog DiIC16 and were disrupted in cholesterol-depleted cells. Conclusions These findings are consistent with an important role of the membrane-proximal region of β3 in modulating αIIbβ3 clustering and lateral redistribution of membrane lipids. Since the β3 mutant was associated with a thrombasthenic phenotype in a patient carrying one normal β3 allele, these results support a dominant role of clustering in regulating integrin αIIbβ3 functions in vivo.

New insights into the expression and role of platelet factor XIII-A

Summary.  Background: The A subunit of factor XIII (FXIII‐A) functions as an intracellular transglutaminase (TG) in the megakaryocyte/platelet lineage, where it probably participates in the cytoskeletal remodeling associated with cell activation. However, so far, the precise role of cellular FXIII (cFXIII) and the functional consequences of its absence in FXIII‐A‐deficient patients are unknown. Objectives and methods: In this study, we used platelets from four patients with congenital deficiency of FXIII‐A to study the role of cFXIII in platelet functions. Results: We found that FXIII‐A represents the only detectable source of TG activity in platelets and that the binding of fibrinogen in response to thrombin receptor agonist peptide (TRAP) stimulation was significantly reduced in platelets from the patients. In agreement with this, in control platelets, monodansyl‐cadaverine (MDC), a competitive amino‐donor for TGs, inhibited fibrinogen binding induced by TRAP in a dose‐dependent manner. Moreover, upon adhesion to fibrinogen, normal platelets incubated with MDC as well as FXIII‐A‐deficient platelets showed a distinct extension pattern with reduced lamellipodia and increased filopodia formation, suggesting a delay in spreading. Conclusions: These findings provide evidence for the direct involvement of cFXIII‐dependent TG activity in the regulation of platelet functions.

Effect of metamizol on promyelocytic and terminally differentiated granulocytic cells: Comparative analysis with acetylsalicylic acid and diclofenac

Metamizol is an analgesic and antipyretic agent that can induce agranulocytosis in certain patients. However, its effects on granulocyte viability and differentiation have been poorly evaluated. Here we analysed the effects of metamizol and its active metabolite, 4-methylaminoantipyrine (MAA), on the viability of HL60 promyelocytes and their dimethyl sulphoxide-induced differentiated granulocytes. Metamizol and MAA at 75 microM (above the peak of plasmatic concentration after 2g intake) did not alter granulocytic differentiation of HL60 cells. Only at concentrations above 100 microM, well over the pharmacological range, metamizol-induced apoptosis in about 30% of the HL60 promyelocytes, while HL60-granulocytic terminally differentiated cells were more resistant to this apoptotic action. When the effects of metamizol were compared with those of acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) and diclofenac on cell viability, at equivalent concentrations used in analgesic and antipyretic therapy (75 microM for metamizol, and ASA and 3 microM for diclofenac) their apoptotic effects were similar. Again, the HL60 promyelocytes were more sensitive to apoptosis than granulocytic differentiated cells, as measured by the percentage of sub-G(1) cells detected by flow cytometry and by determination of caspase activity as a function of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase cleavage. Furthermore, when human blood-derived granulocytes were treated with metamizol, MAA, and ASA at 75 microM or diclofenac at 3 microM, less than 10% of apoptotic granulocytes were detected, whereas at toxicological/suprapharmacological concentrations (10mM), about 90% of granulocytes were apoptotic. These results demonstrate that metamizol, MAA, ASA, and diclofenac, at pharmacological concentrations, neither affect the granulocytic differentiation process nor induce relevant apoptosis on terminally differentiated granulocytes.

Possible role for cellular FXIII in monocyte-derived dendritic cell motility

The A subunit of plasma factor XIII (FXIII-A) is thought to function as an intracellular transglutaminase (TG) in the monocyte/macrophage lineage to regulate certain intracellular processes involving cytoskeleton remodeling, but its precise role and the functional consequences of its absence remain poorly understood. In the present study, we show that cellular FXIII (cFXIII) expression is largely upregulated during in vitro differentiation of monocytes into dendritic cells (DCs). Monodansyl-cadaverine, a competitive substrate of TG activity, inhibited basal and CCL19-stimulated migration of mature DCs. In agreement, FXIII-A-deficient DCs showed a reduced chemotactic response to CCL19. Consistent with these findings, CHO cells stably expressing human FXIII-A showed enhanced motility in transwell and scratch-wound assays. These cells displayed increased formation of membrane blebs, dynamic cell protrusions implicated in cell movement that were also observed in DCs. The results provide evidence suggesting that upregulation of cFXIII in DCs has a role in regulating cell motility.

Mice Lacking Endoglin in Macrophages Show an Impaired Immune Response

Endoglin is an auxiliary receptor for members of the TGF-β superfamily and plays an important role in the homeostasis of the vessel wall. Mutations in endoglin gene (ENG) or in the closely related TGF-β receptor type I ACVRL1/ALK1 are responsible for a rare dominant vascular dysplasia, the Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia (HHT), or Rendu-Osler-Weber syndrome. Endoglin is also expressed in human macrophages, but its role in macrophage function remains unknown. In this work, we show that endoglin expression is triggered during the monocyte-macrophage differentiation process, both in vitro and during the in vivo differentiation of blood monocytes recruited to foci of inflammation in wild-type C57BL/6 mice. To analyze the role of endoglin in macrophages in vivo, an endoglin myeloid lineage specific knock-out mouse line (Engfl/flLysMCre) was generated. These mice show a predisposition to develop spontaneous infections by opportunistic bacteria. Engfl/flLysMCre mice also display increased survival following LPS-induced peritonitis, suggesting a delayed immune response. Phagocytic activity is impaired in peritoneal macrophages, altering one of the main functions of macrophages which contributes to the initiation of the immune response. We also observed altered expression of TGF-β1 target genes in endoglin deficient peritoneal macrophages. Overall, the altered immune activity of endoglin deficient macrophages could help to explain the higher rate of infectious diseases seen in HHT1 patients.