Seiichi Kitagawa

Recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor enhances superoxide release in human granulocytes stimulated by the chemotactic peptide

Recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) by itself was not an effective stimulus for inducing the release of superoxide (O-2) in human granulocytes. However, G-CSF was able to prime human granulocytes, and enhanced O-2 release stimulated by the chemotactic peptide, N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (FMLP). The preincubation with G-CSF for 5-10 min at 37 degrees C was sufficient for priming the cells. The optimal enhancing effect was obtained at 25 ng/ml of G-CSF. The enhancement of O-2 release by G-CSF was observed over the complete range of effective concentrations of FMLP (10(-8)-10(-6) M). These findings indicate that G-CSF is a potent activator of mature granulocyte functions.

Stimulation and priming of human neutrophils by granulocyte colony-stimulating factor and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor: Qualitative and quantitative differences

Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor(G-CSF) and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) increased neutrophil C3bi-receptor expression and adherence and rapidly (less than 10 min) primed neutrophils to enhanced O2- release and membrane depolarization stimulated by chemotactic peptide. Direct triggering of O2- release in suspended neutrophils was also provoked by GM-CSF but not by G-CSF. GM-CSF-induced O2- release was inhibited by cyclic AMP agonists and cytochalasin B. The biological activity was greater in non-glycosylated GM-CSF than in glycosylated GM-CSF, whereas it was identical in glycosylated and non-glycosylated G-CSFs. Direct stimulation and priming by GM-CSF were consistently greater than those by G-CSF and the combined addition of the optimal concentrations of G-CSF and GM-CSF resulted in the effects of GM-CSF alone. These findings indicate that the effects of G-CSF and GM-CSF on neutrophil functions are qualitatively and quantitatively different from each other.

Induction of Monocyte Chemoattractant Protein-1 Synthesis in Human Monocytes During Transendothelial Migration In Vitro

Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1, or monocyte chemotactic and activating factor) plays important roles in the recruitment of monocytes and thus in the development of atherosclerosis. In this study, we determined whether MCP-1 synthesis was induced by the cellular interaction between monocytes and endothelial cells during the process of transendothelial migration. We found that when human peripheral blood monocytes (2.5 x 10(6) cells) and umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs; 5.0 x 10(5) cells) were cocultured for 5 hours, 7.9 ng/mL MCP-1 was secreted into the medium, whereas when the two were cultured separately, MCP-1 levels were 1.0 and 0.9 ng/mL, respectively. Furthermore, the use of interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta)-pretreated HUVECs in cocultures induced twice the levels of MCP-1 as in unstimulated HUVEC culture. Conditioned medium had transendothelial chemotactic activity for monocytes, and this activity was completely abolished by addition of anti-MCP-1 antibody. Although MCP-1 mRNA levels were very low or undetectable in HUVECs or monocytes alone, message could be detected after 2 hours of coculture in total mRNA preparations from both monocytes and HUVECs. mRNA levels increased by 4 hours and had declined slightly by 24 hours. The rapid induction of message suggests that cell contact between monocytes and HUVECs induces the de novo synthesis of MCP-1 protein. Anti-interleukin (IL)-1 alpha/beta and anti-tumor necrosis factor-alpha antibodies, or anti-lymphocyte function-associated antigen-1 and very late antigen-4 antibodies, had little or no inhibitory effects on MCP-1 secretion by cocultures.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Platelet recovery after eradication of Helicobacter pylori in patients with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura

Abstract. The association between Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection and idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) has been reported by several groups. We investigated the prevalence of H. pylori infection and the effectiveness of its eradication in Japanese patients with ITP. H. pylori infection was found in 21 of 30 patients (70.0%) by 13C urea breath test and presence of serum antibodies to H. pylori. H. pylori was eradicated in 18 of the 21 infected patients (85.7%) by administration of a proton pump inhibitor and two kinds of antibiotics. In only one patient was medication discontinued due to skin rash on the 4th day of treatment. Platelet recovery was obtained in ten patients (55.6%). In two patients with treatment failure, platelet recovery was obtained after successful re-eradication. In three patients without H. pylori infection, platelet counts did not significantly increase with the same treatment. On the other hand, eradication therapy did not affect platelet counts in patients with gastric ulcer. In conclusion, H. pylori eradication can be used for initial treatment with tolerable adverse effects in some ITP patients.

Involvement of adhesion molecules in human monocyte adhesion to and transmigration through endothelial cells in vitro

Although the accumulation of monocyte-derived foam cells in the subendothelium is a key step in early atherogenesis, the mechanism responsible for monocyte adhesion to and subsequent transmigration through endothelial cells (ECs) has not been defined fully. We investigated the kinetics and the role played by adhesion molecules in the adhesion and transmigration of human monocytes using an in vitro three-dimensional model system comprising ECs cultured on collagen gels. Monocyte adhesion to untreated EC layers increased with time, reached a maximum after 3 h, and then declined. Monocyte transmigration through untreated EC layers also increased with time and reached a plateau after 3-4 h. Prestimulation of ECs with interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta; 25 U/ml) for 4 h enhanced monocyte adhesion (40.7 +/- 1.4%) and transmigration (37.9 +/- 1.6%) significantly compared with the value for untreated EC layers. In unstimulated EC layers, anti-leukocyte function-associated antigen-1 (LFA-1) plus anti-intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) inhibited monocyte adhesion and transmigration significantly by 19% and 20%, respectively, whereas anti-very late antigen-4 (VLA-4) plus anti-vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) mAbs did not. In IL-1 beta-stimulated EC layers, anti-LFA 1 plus anti-ICAM-1 mAbs inhibited the adhesion and transmigration by 32% and 30%, respectively and anti-VLA-4 plus anti-VCAM-1 mAbs did so by 18% and 27%, respectively. These results suggest that the monocyte-EC interaction in unstimulated ECs is mediated, in part, by the LFA-1-ICAM-1 pathway and in IL-1 beta-stimulated ECs, in part, by both LFA-1-ICAM-1 and VLA-4-VCAM-1 pathways.

Transcriptional Activation of the cdc2 Gene Is Associated with Fas-induced Apoptosis of Human Hematopoietic Cells

Apoptosis has recently been hypothesized to be the result of aberrant cell cycle control. In this study, we have investigated the role of cell cycle-regulatory elements in Fas-induced apoptosis of hematopoietic cells. When HL-60 cells were treated with anti-Fas antibody, rapid activation of growth-associated histone H1 kinase was observed without any change in cell cycle distribution. This was accompanied by the increase in cdc2 mRNA expression and Cdc2 kinase activity. Up-regulation of cdc2 mRNA was similarly induced in BCL-2-overexpressing HL-60 subline by anti-Fas treatment independently of the appearance of apoptotic phenotypes. Fas-induced apoptosis was completely inhibited by butyrolactone I, a specific inhibitor of Cdc2 kinase. Moreover, the same phenomenon was observed during Fas-induced but not spontaneous apoptosis of postmitotic granulocytes. Finally, we have found that “Fas-responsive element” was located between nucleotides −730 and −552 of the cdc2 promoter and was responsive for transcriptional activation of the cdc2 gene during Fas-induced apoptosis. These results indicate that aberrant activation of Cdc2 is associated with Fas-induced apoptosis of hematopoietic cells, and that the mechanism of cdc2 transcription during Fas-induced apoptosis is different from that in normal cell cycle control.

Monocyte-endothelial cell interaction induces expression of adhesion molecules on human umbilical cord endothelial cells

OBJECTIVE The adhesive interaction of monocytes and endothelial cells has been implicated as a regulatory signal in the cell activation that is involved in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. We investigated the effect of monocyte-endothelial cell interaction on the expression of adhesion molecules, intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1), in human umbilical cord vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). METHODS ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 protein and mRNA expression were determined by cellular ELISA and Northern blot analysis, respectively. RESULTS The addition of unstimulated human monocytes, as well as interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta: 25 U/ml) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF: 100 U/ml), to HUVECs rapidly induced the expression of ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 protein and mRNA in HUVECs, whereas the addition of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) had no significant effect on their expression. The induction of ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 by the co-culture of HUVECs and monocytes was significantly, but partially, inhibited by the combination of anti-IL-1 alpha, anti-IL-1 beta and anti-TNF Abs. Actinomycin D and genistein, but not calphostin C, also significantly inhibited the co-culture-induced adhesion molecule expression. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that the monocyte-endothelial cell interaction induces the expression of ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 in endothelial cells partially through the production of IL-1 and TNF. These findings also suggest that the monocyte-endothelial interaction further augments their interaction through the up-regulation of endothelial adhesion molecules, as a positive feedback mechanism.

Functional maturation of membrane potential changes and superoxide-producing capacity during differentiation of human granulocytes.

The alterations of stimulus-induced membrane potential changes, superoxide (O2-)-producing capacity and phagocytic activity during differentiation of human granulocytes were investigated in the human leukemia cell lines HL-60 and KG-1 differentiating in vitro and in human leukemic granulocytes obtained from chronic myelogenous leukemia patients. HL-60 cells incubated with dimethyl sulfoxide or with retinoic acid showed progressively increasing O2- production as well as membrane potential changes (depolarization) on contact with phorbol myristate acetate or the chemotactic peptide N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine, with a concomitant increase in the proportion of mature cells of the granulocytic type. Phagocytosis of latex particles, yeast, and oil droplets appeared 24 h after incubation with dimethyl sulfoxide and anteceded the increment of O2- production and membrane potential changes, both of which appeared concomitantly 3 d after incubation with dimethyl sulfoxide. Similar findings were observed when immature and mature granulocytes obtained from chronic myelogenous leukemia patients were stimulated by phorbol ester, the chemotactic peptide, or calcium ionophore A23187, and the amount of O2- production was parallel to the magnitude of membrane potential changes. HL-60 and KG-1 cells incubated for 1-6 d with phorbol myristate acetate showed neither O2- production nor membrane potential changes on contact with phorbol ester, chemotactic peptide, or A23187, although such cells resembled macrophages morphologically, and their phagocytic activity was significantly increased. O2- production and membrane potential changes in normal granulocytes induced by phorbol ester, chemotactic peptide and A23187 were inhibited by 2-deoxyglucose. These findings indicate that the O2--producing system and the system provoking membrane potential changes may develop concomitantly as human granulocytes mature and differentiate, and that the development of these systems and of phagocytic activity may be independently regulated.

Antiapoptotic effect of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor, and cyclic AMP on human neutrophils: protein synthesis-dependent and protein synthesis-independent mechanisms and the role of the Janus kinase-STAT pathway.

Spontaneous neutrophil apoptosis during culture was delayed by granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), granulocyte-macrophage CSF (GM-CSF), or dibutyryl-cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP), whereas apoptosis was accelerated by cycloheximide or actinomycin D. G-CSF-mediated antiapoptosis was completely abolished by cycloheximide or actinomycin D, whereas GM-CSF-mediated antiapoptosis was not completely abolished by these inhibitors. Antiapoptosis induced by dibutyryl-cAMP was highly resistant to cycloheximide, and that induced by benzyloxycarbonyl-Val-Ala-Asp-fluoromethylketone was unaffected by cycloheximide. G-CSF- and GM-CSF-mediated antiapoptosis and phosphorylation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) and STAT5 were inhibited by AG490, an inhibitor of Janus kinase.The level of Mcl-1 protein was not associated with neutrophil apoptosis. The results suggest that (a) neutrophil survival in the resting state is primarily regulated by the constitutive synthesis of antiapoptotic proteins; (b) the prevention of spontaneous apoptosis is mediated through the protein synthesis-dependent and/or protein synthesis-independent mechanisms according to the stimuli used; and (c) the Janus kinase-STAT pathway is involved in G-CSF- and GM-CSF-mediated antiapoptosis.

Tyrosine phosphorylation and intracellular alkalinization are early events in human neutrophils stimulated by tumor necrosis factor, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor.

Tumor necrosis factor (TNF), granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and granulocyte CSF (G-CSF) primed human neutrophils for enhanced release of superoxide in time- and dose-dependent manners. The priming effects of these cytokines were detected at 3 min and maximal at 10 min of preincubation. The potency of the maximal effect was TNF > GM-CSF > G-CSF. Exposure of human neutrophils to TNF, GM-CSF and G-CSF resulted in tyrosine phosphorylation of a 42-kDa protein and intracellular alkalinization in a dose-dependent manner. The dose-response curves for triggering of tyrosine phosphorylation and intracellular alkalinization by each cytokine were similar to those for priming the cells. The potency of the maximal effect on tyrosine phosphorylation was TNF > GM-CSF > G-CSF, whereas that on intracellular alkalinization was GM-CSF > TNF > G-CSF. Tyrosine phosphorylation was detected at 3 min and maximal at 5-10 min after stimulation with each cytokine. Tyrosine phosphorylation induced by TNF declined at 20-40 min, whereas that induced by GM-CSF or G-CSF was maintained for at least 40 min. Intracellular alkalinization induced by each cytokine required a lag time of 3-5 min and was sustained for at least 40 min. Tyrosine phosphorylation preceded or occurred concomitantly with intracellular alkalinization and priming of the cells. These findings indicate that tyrosine phosphorylation and intracellular alkalinization are early events in human neutrophils stimulated by TNF, GM-CSF and G-CSF, and that these early events may, at least in part, mediate activation or priming of human neutrophils by these cytokines.