Sue L. Cousart

Characterization of interleukin-1 receptor-associated kinase in normal and endotoxin-tolerant cells.

Interleukin-1 receptor-associated kinase (IRAK), a signal transducer for interleukin-1, has also been suggested to participate in the Toll-like receptor-mediated innate immune response to bacterial endotoxin lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Using the human promonocytic THP-1 cell line, we demonstrated that the endogenous IRAK is quickly activated in response to bacterial LPS stimulation, as measured by its in vitro kinase activity toward myelin basic protein. LPS also triggers the association of IRAK with MyD88, the adaptor protein linking IRAK to the Toll-like receptor/interleukin-1β receptor intracellular domain. Macrophage cells with prolonged LPS treatment become tolerant to additional dose of LPS and no longer express inflammatory cytokines. Endotoxin tolerance is a common phenomenon observed in blood from sepsis patients. We observed for the first time that the quantity of IRAK is greatly reduced in LPS-tolerant THP-1 cells, and its activity no longer responds to further LPS challenge. In addition, IRAK does not associate with MyD88 in the tolerant cells. Furthermore, application of AG126, a putative tyrosine kinase inhibitor, can substantially alleviate the LPS-induced cytokine gene expression and can also decrease IRAK level and activity. Our study indicates that IRAK is essential for LPS-mediated signaling and that cells may develop endotoxin tolerance by down-regulating IRAK.

Tolerance to endotoxin-induced expression of the interleukin-1 beta gene in blood neutrophils of humans with the sepsis syndrome.

The induction of genes of host cells stimulated by microbial products such as endotoxin and the tolerance of cells to endotoxin excitation play critical roles in the pathogenesis of microbial-induced acute disseminated inflammation with multiorgan failure (the sepsis syndrome). One gene that is induced in phagocytic cells by endotoxin and that appears to play an essential role in the pathogenesis of the sepsis syndrome is IL-1 beta. We report here that blood neutrophils (PMN) of patients with the sepsis syndrome (sepsis PMN) are consistently tolerant to endotoxin-induced expression of the IL-1 beta gene, as determined by decreased synthesis of the IL-1 beta protein and reductions in IL-1 beta mRNA. This down-regulation of the IL-1 beta gene in sepsis PMN occurs concomitant with an upregulation in the constitutive expression of the type 2 IL-1 receptor (IL-1R2). These phenotypic changes do not persist in PMN of patients recovering from the sepsis syndrome. Tolerance has stimulus and response specificity since sepsis PMN tolerant to endotoxin can respond normally to Staphylococcus aureus stimulation of IL-1 beta production and they normally secrete elastase. Uninfected patients with severe trauma or shock from causes are not tolerant to endotoxin and tolerance is not limited to patients infected with Gram-negative bacteria. The mechanism responsible for tolerance involves pretranslational events and is not due to loss of the CD14 surface protein, a receptor required for endotoxin induction of IL-1 beta in PMN. The physiological significance of the tolerance to endotoxin and increased expression of IL-1R2 on sepsis PMN is unknown, but may represent an attempt by the host to protect itself from the deleterious effects of disseminated inflammation.

Epigenetic Silencing of Tumor Necrosis Factor α during Endotoxin Tolerance

Sustained silencing of potentially autotoxic acute proinflammatory genes like tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα) occurs in circulating leukocytes following the early phase of severe systemic inflammation. Aspects of this gene reprogramming suggest the involvement of epigenetic processes. We used THP-1 human promonocytes, which mimic gene silencing when rendered endotoxin-tolerant in vitro, to test whether TNFα proximal promoter nucleosomes and transcription factors adapt to an activation-specific profile by developing characteristic chromatin-based silencing marks. We found increased TNFα mRNA levels in endotoxin-responsive cells that was preceded by dissociation of heterochromatin-binding protein 1α, demethylation of nucleosomal histone H3 lysine 9 (H3(Lys9)), increased phosphorylation of the adjacent serine 10 (H3(Ser10)), and recruitment of NF-κB RelA/p65 to the TNFα promoter. In contrast, endotoxintolerant cells repressed production of TNFα mRNA, retained binding of heterochromatin-binding protein 1α, sustained methylation of H3(Lys9), reduced phosphorylation of H3(Ser10), and showed diminished binding of NF-κB RelA/p65 to the TNFα promoter. Similar levels of NF-κB p50 occurred at the TNFα promoter in the basal state, during active transcription, and in the silenced phenotype. RelB, which acts as a repressor of TNFα transcription, remained bound to the promoter during silencing. These results support an immunodeficiency paradigm where epigenetic changes at the promoter of acute proinflammatory genes mediate their repression during the late phase of severe systemic inflammation.

Induction of RelB Participates in Endotoxin Tolerance

Using a THP-1 human promonocyte model of endotoxin tolerance that simulates the sepsis leukocyte phenotype, we previously showed that tolerant cells remain responsive to LPS endotoxin with degradation of IκB in the cytosol and nuclear translocation and accumulation of p50 and p65 NF-κB transcription factors. Despite this, endotoxin-inducible NF-κB-dependent innate immunity genes, like IL-1β, remained transcriptionally unresponsive in the tolerant phenotype, similar to the endotoxin tolerance observed in sepsis patients. In this study, we examined this paradox and found that RelB, another member of the NF-κB family, is induced during the establishment of tolerance. RelB expression correlated with IL-1β repression, and sepsis patients showed increased RelB when compared with normal controls. Transient expression of RelB inhibited IL-1β in endotoxin-responsive cells. In the inverse experiment, small inhibitory RNAs decreased RelB expression in tolerant cells and restored endotoxin induction of IL-1β. When we examined tolerant cell extracts, we found transcriptionally inactive NF-κB p65/RelB heterodimers. Taken together, our findings demonstrate that RelB can repress proinflammatory gene expression, and suggest that RelB expression in sepsis patient blood leukocytes may play a role in the endotoxin-tolerant phenotype.

RelB Sustains IκBα Expression during Endotoxin Tolerance

ABSTRACT Transcription factors and chromatin structural modifiers induce clinically relevant epigenetic modifications of blood leukocytes during severe systemic inflammation (SSI) in humans and animals. These changes affect genes with distinct functions, as exemplified by the silencing of a set of acute proinflammatory genes and the sustained expression of a group of antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory genes. This paradigm is closely mimicked in the THP-1 human promonocyte cell model of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) endotoxin tolerance. We previously reported that LPS-induced de novo expression of RelB is required for generating tolerance to interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) expression. RelB represses transcription by binding with heterochromatic protein 1 α (HP1α) to the proximal promoters of IL-1β and TNF-α. In contrast, we report herein that RelB is required for sustained expression of anti-inflammatory IκBα in LPS-tolerant THP-1 cells. RelB transcription activation requires binding to the IκBα proximal promoter along with NF-κB p50 and is associated with an apparent dimer exchange with p65. We also observed that RelB induced during human SSI binds to the IκBα proximal promoter of circulating leukocytes. We conclude that RelB functions as a dual transcription regulator during LPS tolerance and human SSI by activating and repressing innate immunity genes.

Endotoxin inducible transcription is repressed in endotoxin tolerant cells.

ABSTRACT Stimulation of the human promonocytic cell line, THP‐1, with endotoxin results in a rapid and transient increase in interleukin 1&bgr; expression. Endotoxin pretreatment of THP‐1 cells results in tolerance, characterized by decreased levels of endotoxin‐induced interleukin 1&bgr; expression due to decreased transcription of the interleukin 1&bgr; gene. We hypothesized that tolerant cells could not activate transcription factors necessary to express the interleukin 1&bgr; gene. This hypothesis was tested in tolerant THP‐1 cells by using stable and transiently transfected reporter genes containing the interleukin 1&bgr; promoter. We found decreased endotoxin‐induced transcription of all reporter genes tested; however, individual transcription factors, such as NF&kgr;B, retain normal, CD14‐dependent, nuclear translocation and DNA binding. Tolerance is specific for endotoxin, because phorbol ester is still able to activate transcription of the endogenous interleukin 1&bgr; gene and transfected reporter genes. A constitutively active reporter gene that is not inducible by endotoxin is unaffected. We further show that nuclear extracts of tolerant cells show transcription inhibitor activity that is specific for promoter sequences of the interleukin 1&bgr; gene. These results support a mechanism of endotoxin tolerance that is independent of transcription factor DNA binding and appears to be associated with the inability of DNA‐bound transcription factors to activate transcription, perhaps through the activity of a repressor.

Stimulation of hexose transport by human polymorphonuclear leukocytes: A possible role for protein kinase C

The protein C kinase activators 1-O-oleoyl, 2-O-acetylglycerol, 12-O-tetradecanoyl phorbol-13-acetate, and mezerein, stimulated deoxyglucose uptake in human neutrophils. The responses were stimulus specific since no effect was noted with the diether analogues 1-O-hexadecyl-2-O-ethylglycerol, 1-O-palmitoyl-2-O-acetyl or 1-O-palmitoyl-3-O-acetyl diesters of propanediol, or with 1,2-diolein. Stimulation of deoxyglucose uptake had the characteristics of carrier facilitated hexose transport. Stimulated uptake of deoxy-glucose was inhibited by trifluoperazine (10-30 microM). Activation of protein kinase C therefore appears to trigger events involved in hexose transport.

ENDOTOXIN-ADAPTED SEPTIC SHOCK LEUKOCYTES SELECTIVELY ALTER PRODUCTION OF SIL-1RA AND IL-1β

During septic shock, circulating levels of anti-inflammatory mediators are increased relative to those of pro-inflammatory. The reduced capacity of septic shock blood leukocytes in expressing pro-inflammatory genes in response to bacterial lipopolysaccharide endotoxin (LPS) may contribute to reductions in these mediators, but the reasons for persistent increases in circulating anti-inflammatory mediators are unknown. We determined whether septic shock leukocytes that have adapted to LPS induction of the IL-1beta gene could continue to express sIL-1RA in response to LPS. Septic shock whole-blood leukocytes and neutrophils (PMNs) selectively maintained production of sIL-1RA after treatment with LPS while limiting that of IL-1beta. Repressed transcription of IL-1beta and rapid decay of IL-1beta mRNA in septic shock neutrophils correlated with reductions in levels of IL-1beta after stimulation with LPS. Transcription of sIL-1RA mRNA was also suppressed, but the ability of LPS to stimulate events that lead to efficient translation of a stable sIL-1RA mRNA appeared responsible for maintaining sIL-1RA production. We conclude that LPS adaptation of septic shock leukocytes selectively influences signaling pathways that regulate transcription, mRNA processing, and translation, leading to changes in the balance of production of pro- and anti-inflammatory mediators.

Neutropenia induced by systemic infusion of 5,12-dihydroxy-6,8,10,14-eicosatetraenoic acid: correlation with its in vitro effects upon neutrophils.

5(S), 12(S)-Dihydroxy-cis-14,trans-6,8,10-eicosatetraenoate (compound I), 5(S),12(R)-dihydroxy-cis-14,trans-6,8,10-eicosatetraenoate (compound II), and 5(S),12(R)-dihydroxy-cis-6,14,trans-8,10-eicosatetraenoate (compound III) were prepared from rabbit peritoneal neutrophils challenged with arachidonic acid plus ionophore A23187. Each arachidonate metabolite caused rabbit neutrophils to aggregate and, in cells treated with cytochalasin B, release granule-bound enzymes. Compound III was 10- to 100-fold more potent than compounds II and I. When intravenously infused into rabbits at doses of 100--1,000 ng/kg, compound III induced abrupt, profound, transient neutropenia associated with a rapidly reversing accumulation of neutrophils in the pulmonary circulation. This in vivo action correlated closely with the ability of the fatty acid to activate neutrophils in vitro: neutropenia, aggregation, and degranulation occurred at similar doses of stimulus and the rapid, reversing kinetics of the neutropenic response paralleled the equally rapid, reversing formation of aggregates. The fatty acid did not alter the circulating levels of lymphocytes or platelets and did not aggregate platelets in vitro. At comparable doses (i.e., 100--1,000 ng/kg), compounds I and II did not cause neutropenia. Thus, compound III possesses a high degree of structural and target-cell specificity in stimulating neutrophils in vitro and in vivo. Clinical and experimental syndromes associating neutropenia with increased levels of circulating arachidonate metabolites may involve compound III as a mediator of neutrophil sequestration in lung.

The effect of free radical derived hydroxyicosatetraenoic acids on hexose transport in the human polymorphonuclear leukocyte

The following racemic hydroxyicosatetraenoic acids were prepared and assayed for their ability to stimulate hexose transport in human polymorphonuclear leukocytes: 15-, 12-, 11-, 9-, 8-, and 5-hydroxyicosatetraenoic acids. The compounds were isolated from reduced, autoxidized arachidonic acid. The results demonstrate that only the 12- and 5-hydroxyicosatetraenoic acids are biologically active inducing half-maximal responses at 820 and 176 nM, respectively. Thus, the bioactions of hydroxicosatetraenoates ae crucially dependent upon the position of the hydroxy residue. Response to both hydroxyicosatetraenoates was effectively blocked by two inhibitors of arachidonic acid metabolism: nordihydroguaiaretic acid and indomethacin. A third arachidonic acid antimetabolite, 5, 8, 11, 14-eicosatetraynoic acid, completely inhibited the response to 12-HETE but caused only partial inhibition of the response to 5-HETE.