Regulation and lectin activity of the human neutrophil peripheral lymph node homing receptor

We characterize the nature and regulation of a human neutrophil cell surface antigen recognized by monoclonal antibodies (the DREG series) against a human lymphocyte peripheral lymph node homing receptor. Human neutrophils express high levels of the DREG antigen, whose expression is downregulated after treatment with phorbol myristate acetate, or the chemotactic factors C5a and FMLP. Interestingly, C5a treatment also downregulated the monocyte DREG antigen, but had no effect on expression of the lymphocyte molecule. Within 3 minutes after treatment with C5a, greater than 80% of neutrophil DREG antigen expression is lost, and essentially the molecule is completely removed from the cell surface by 5 minutes. The human neutrophil DREG antigen is 10 Kd larger than the lymphocyte molecule. These features are similar to those of the mouse neutrophil MEL-14 antigen (murine peripheral lymph node homing receptor). The mannose-6-phosphate rich phosphomannan (PPME) binds human lymphocytes via the DREG antigen. PPME also binds neutrophils, but little difference in binding is seen between unactivated and activated cells. We show that PPME binding to unactivated neutrophils is mediated primarily by a cation- and DREG antigen-dependent mechanism, whereas activated neutrophil-PPME binding is DREG antigen- and cation-independent, and may be due to the translocation of lysosomal mannose-6-phosphate receptors to the cell surface. The DREG antibodies offer powerful tools for analyzing the role of homing receptors in human neutrophil-endothelial cell interactions, and also may prove valuable in the clinical assessment of neutrophil activation.     

Unique subset of natural killer cells develops from progenitors in lymph node

Natural killer (NK) cells have been thought to develop from committed progenitors in the bone marrow. However, a novel pathway of thymus-dependent NK-cell development that produces a unique subset of NK cells expressing CD127 has recently been reported. We now have identified 2 populations of NK progenitors, one in the thymus and the other in the lymph node (LN). Immature double-negative 2 (CD4(-)CD8(-)CD44(+)CD25(+)) thymocytes have potential to produce NK cells with rearranged T-cell receptor gamma genes (Tcrgamma(+)) in vitro. Tcrgamma(+) NK cells are rare in spleen but relatively abundant in the thymus and LN. Approximately 20% of LN NK cells are Tcrgamma(+), and they are found at similar levels in both CD127(+) and CD127(-) subsets. Moreover, a subpopulation of LN cells resembling immature thymocytes differentiates into Tcrgamma(+) NK cells in vitro and also repopulates the NK compartment in lymphopenic mice. Athymic mice lack the LN NK progenitors expressing CD127 as well as Tcrgamma(+) NK cells. These results suggest that Tcrgamma(+) NK cells may be generated from unique progenitors in the thymus as well as in the LN.     

Expression and regulation of chemokine receptors in human natural killer cells

Using flow cytometric and RNase protection assays, this study examined the expression of chemokine receptors in nonactivated natural killer (NK) cells and compared this expression with NK cells activated with interleukin (IL)-2, which either adhered to plastic flasks (AD) or did not adhere (NA). None of the NK cell subsets expressed CXCR2, CXCR5, or CCR5. The major differences between these cells include increased expression of CXCR1, CCR1, CCR2, CCR4, CCR8, and CX(3)CR1 in AD when compared to NA or nonactivated NK cells. The chemotactic response to the CXC and CC chemokines correlated with the receptor expression except that all 3 populations responded to GRO-alpha, despite their lack of CXCR2 expression. Pretreatment of these cells with anti-CXCR2 did not inhibit the chemotactic response to GRO-alpha. In addition, nonactivated and NA cells responded to fractalkine, although they lack the expression of CX(3)CR1. This activity was not inhibited by anti-CX(3)CR1. Viral macrophage inflammatory protein (vMIP)-I, I-309, and TARC competed with the binding of (125)I-309 to AD cells with varying affinities. Transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta1 but not any other cytokine or chemokine examined including interferon (IFN)-gamma, MIP-3beta, macrophage-derived chemokine (MDC), thymus and activation-regulated chemokine (TARC) or I-309, up-regulated the expression of CXCR3 and CXCR4 on NK cell surface. This is correlated with increased chemotaxis of NK cells treated with TGF-beta1 toward stromal cell-derived factor (SDF)-1alpha and interferon-inducible protein-10 (IP-10). Messenger RNA for lymphotactin, RANTES, MIP-1alpha, and MIP-1beta, but not IP-10, monocyte chemotactic protein (MCP)-1, IL-8, or I-309 was expressed in all 3 NK cell subsets. Our results may have implications for the dissemination of NK cells at the sites of tumor growth or viral replication. (Blood. 2001;97:367-375)     

Expression of vascular endothelial growth factor C and chemokine receptor CCR7 in gastric carcinoma and their values in predicting lymph node metastasis

AIM: To study the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor C (VEGF-C) and chemokine receptor CCR7 in gastric carcinoma and to investigate their associations with lymph node metastasis of gastric carcinoma and their values in predicting lymph node metastasis. METHODS: The expression of VEGF-C and CCR7 in gastric carcinoma tissues obtained from 118 patients who underwent curative gastrectomy was examined by immunohistochemistry. Among these patients, 39 patients underwent multi-slice spiral CT (MSCT) examination. RESULTS: VEGF-C and CCR7 were positively expressed in 52.5 and 53.4% of patients. VEGF-C expression was more frequently found in tumors with lymph node metastasis than those without it (P<0.001). VEGF-C expression was also closely related to lymphatic invasion (P<0.001), vascular invasion (P<0.01), and TNM stage (P<0.001). However, there was no significant correlation between VEGF-C expression and age at surgery, gender, tumor size, tumor location, Lauren classification, and depth of invasion. CCR7 expression was significantly higher in patients with lymph node metastasis compared with those without lymph node metastasis (P<0.001) and was also associated with tumor size (P<0.01), depth of invasion (P<0.001), lymphatic invasion (P<0.001), and TNM stage (P<0.001). However, the presence of CCR7 had no correlation to age at surgery, gender, tumor location, Lauren classification, and vascular invasion. Among the 39 patients who underwent MSCT examination, only CCR7 expression was related to lymph node metastasis determined by MSCT (P<0.05). In the current retrospective study, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and accuracy of VEGF-C and CCR7 expression in the diagnosis of lymph node metastasis for patients with gastric carcinoma were 73.8%, 70.2%, 72.6%, 71.4% and 72.0%, and 82.0%, 77.2%, 79.4%, 80.0% and 79.7%, respectively. After subdivision according to the combination of VEGF-C and CCR7 expression, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis showed that the accuracy of the combined examination of VEGF-C and CCR7 expression in predicting lymph node metastasis was relatively high (area under ROC curve [Az]=0.83). CONCLUSION: The expression of VEGF-C and CCR7 is related to lymph node metastasis of gastric carcinoma and both of them may become new targets for the treatment of gastric carcinoma. Furthermore, the combined examination of VEGF-C and CCR7 expression in endoscopic biopsy specimens may be useful in predicting lymph node metastasis of gastric carcinoma and deciding the extent of surgical lymph node resection.     

The chemokine receptor CCR7 and alpha4 integrin are important for migration of chronic lymphocytic leukemia cells into lymph nodes

Malignant lymphocyte migration into lymph nodes is an important aspect of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), yet little is known about the processes involved. Here we demonstrate that CLL cells migrate across vascular endothelium in response to at least 3 chemokines, namely, CCL21, CCL19, and CXCL12. Moreover, transendothelial cell migration (TEM) in response to CCL21 and CCL19 was significantly higher for the malignant B cells of patients who had clinical lymph node involvement as compared with those of patients lacking such organomegaly. Furthermore, the expression of CCR7, the receptor for both CCL21 and CCL19, correlated with clinical lymphadenopathy, and blocking of CCR7 inhibited CLL cell TEM. By using immunohistochemistry we demonstrated that CCL21 and CCL19, but not CXCL12, are located in high endothelial venules and are, therefore, in an appropriate location to induce TEM. Regarding the adhesion receptors involved in TEM, alpha4 (most likely in association with beta1) and alphaLbeta2 were shown to be important in CLL cell TEM in vitro, but only the level of alpha4 expression correlated with the presence of clinical lymphadenopathy. The present studies are the first to shed light on the factors determining CLL cell entry into nodes and define the phenotype of circulating malignant cells likely to determine the pattern of lymph node enlargement in the disease.     

Expression and function of the chemokine receptor CCR7 in thyroid carcinomas

The chemokine receptor CCR7 plays a critical role in lymphocyte and dendritic cell trafficking into and within lymph nodes, the preferential metastatic site for papillary (PTC) and medullary (MTC) thyroid carcinomas. In order to determine a possible role for CCR7 in mediating the metastatic behaviour of thyroid carcinomas, we analysed its expression in normal and tumoral thyroid tissues of different histotypes and studied the in vitro effects of its activation by the CCR7 ligand, CCL21. Using real-time quantitative-PCR, we observed that CCR7 expression was higher in PTCs and MTCs than in follicular and poorly differentiated thyroid carcinomas. CCR7 expression was ninefold higher in classic compared with follicular variants of PTCs, and its expression in MTCs was significantly correlated with lymph node metastases. Immunohistochemical staining for CCR7 showed protein expression in neoplastic thyroid cells, with higher intensity in PTCs, MTCs and their lymph node metastases (LNMs). We further showed that CCL21 stimulation of a CCR7-expressing thyroid tumour cell line (TPC-1) promotes cell proliferation and migration, and the chemotactic effect of CCL21 in these cells involves actin polymerization, increased beta1-integrin expression and increased matrix metalloproteinase secretion. Taken together, our results demonstrate that CCR7 activation on thyroid carcinoma cells by CCL21 - a chemokine abundantly expressed in lymph nodes - favours tissue invasion and cell proliferation, and therefore may promote thyroid carcinoma growth and LNM.     

Identification of a human peripheral lymph node homing receptor: a rapidly down-regulated adhesion molecule.

Lymphocyte migration to lymphoid organs involves organ-specific homing receptors. The mouse peripheral lymph node homing receptor, defined by the MEL-14 monoclonal antibody (mAb), is a lectin-like cell surface protein, which is rapidly down-regulated upon cell activation with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate. We have raised mAbs against rapidly shed molecules released from the cell surface of activated human leukocytes. Five mAbs, DREG-55, -56, -110, -152, and -200, define an 80- to 85-kDa molecule involved in human lymphocyte recognition of peripheral lymph node (PLN) high endothelial venules (HEVs). The DREG-56 mAb specifically inhibits greater than 90% of binding of human lymphocytes to HEVs within frozen sections of peripheral but not mucosal lymphoid tissue. Furthermore, the gp80 antigen is expressed on lymphoid cell lines that are capable of binding to PLN HEVs. The DREG-56 mAb also inhibits lymphocyte binding of the phosphomannan monoester core from Hansenula hostii Y-2448, an activity associated with human and mouse lymphocyte recognition of PLN HEVs. Finally, all five DREG mAbs specifically stain COS cells transfected with LAM-1 cDNA, a putative human homologue of mouse MEL-14 antigen. These results demonstrate that the DREG mAbs define a human lymphocyte homing receptor for PLN HEVs and indicate that this human antigen is homologous to the MEL-14-defined murine lymphocyte homing receptor.     

Human neutrophils release the Leu-8 lymph node homing receptor during cell activation.

The Leu-8 molecule, the human homologue of the murine MEL-14 peripheral lymph node homing receptor, is expressed on neutrophils in both species and may be important in localization of cells to sites of inflammation. Most circulating human neutrophils express the Leu-8 molecule, and activation of neutrophils with phorbol myristate acetate causes a rapid decline in Leu-8 membrane fluorescence staining within 15 minutes. Northern blot analysis of total cellular RNA from neutrophils demonstrated two species of Leu-8 messenger RNA, a major one of 2.4 kb and a minor one of 1.9 kb. Because two different Leu-8 cDNA clones were obtained from human lymphocytes that were predicted to encode both transmembrane and phosphatidylinositol (PI)-anchored forms of the molecule, experiments were conducted to determine whether Leu-8 is anchored to neutrophils by a PI-anchor. There was a slight decrease in expression of Leu-8 on neutrophils when they were treated with PI-specific phospholipase C (PI-PLC). However, Leu-8 was abundant on neutrophils obtained from a patient with paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria. To determine the fate of the Leu-8 molecule during cell activation, neutrophils were labeled with 125I-anti-Leu-8. During activation antibody was rapidly lost from the cell surface and was not internalized, suggesting that Leu-8 is released from the cell membrane during cell activation. When cell extracts of neutrophils were compared with extracts of lymphoid cells by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and immunoblotting, the Leu-8 species expressed on neutrophils had a significantly higher and more variable relative mobility (70 to 120 Kd for neutrophils v 70 Kd for Jurkat T cells). In addition, Leu-8 molecules were detected in the supernatants of activated neutrophils. These results indicate that human neutrophils express a high-molecular-weight form of the Leu-8 molecule that has a conventional transmembrane anchor and is rapidly released from the membrane during activation. The loss of the Leu-8 membrane glycoprotein during activation may be a mechanism for rapid alteration of neutrophil adhesion characteristics.     

CCR9 is a homing receptor for plasmacytoid dendritic cells to the small intestine

Small intestine plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDC) are poorly characterized. Here, we demonstrate that intestinal pDC show the characteristic plasma cell-like morphology, and are recognized by antibodies against B220, Ly6c, 120G8, and PDCA-1, markers that are typically expressed by pDC. Furthermore, intestinal pDC carry high levels of CCR9 and are largely absent in the intestine, but not in lung, liver, or secondary lymphoid organs of CCR9-deficient animals. Competitive adoptive transfers reveal that CCR9-deficient pDC are impaired in homing to the small intestine after i.v. transfer. In a model of cholera toxin-induced gut inflammation, pDC are recruited to the intestine in WT but not CCR9-deficient animals. Furthermore, after oral application of a Toll-like receptor (TLR) 7/8 ligand, myeloid DC of the lamina propria are rapidly mobilized in WT but not in CCR9-deficient animals. Mobilization of myeloid DC can be completely rescued by adoptively transferred WT pDC to CCR9-deficient mice before oral challenge. Together, our data reveal an essential role for CCR9 in the homing of pDC to the intestine under homeostatic and inflammatory conditions and demonstrate an important role for intestinal pDC for the rapid mobilization of lamina propria DC.     

Expression of chemokine ligand 12/chemokine receptor type 7 in intestinal type gastric cancer and its relationship with lymph node and liver metastasis

正Objective To investigate the expression of chemokine ligand 12(CXCL12)/chemokine receptor type 7(CXCR7)in intestinal type gastric cancer and its relationship with clinical pathological characteristics and lymph node,liver metastasis.Methods Sixty cases of intestinal type gastric cancer and its carcinoma adjacent tissues,30 cases of intestinal type gastric cancer with lymph     

The functional characterization of interleukin-10 receptor expression on human natural killer cells

Human natural killer (NK) cells are large granular lymphocytes that constitutively express functional forms of the interleukin-2 receptor (IL-2R) and lyse tumor and virally infected cells without prior sensitization. NK cells with high density expression of CD56 (CD56bright) express the high affinity IL-2R and proliferate in response to low (picomolar) concentrations of IL-2. CD56dim NK cells express the intermediate affinity IL-2R and demonstrate enhanced cytotoxic activity without proliferation in response to high (nanomolar) concentrations of IL-2. In the present study, we characterized IL-10R expression on human NK cells and the functional consequences of IL-10 binding directly to highly purified subsets of CD56bright and CD56dim NK cells. Binding studies using 125I-IL-10 indicated that resting human NK cells constitutively express the IL-10 receptor protein at a surface density of approximately 90 receptor sites per cell, with a kd of approximately 1 nmol/L. Alone, IL-10 did not induce proliferation of CD56bright or CD56dim NK cell subsets. However, at low concentrations (0.5 to 5 ng/mL), IL-10 significantly augmented IL-2-induced proliferation of the CD56bright NK cell subset mediated via the high-affinity IL-2R. In the absence of IL-2, IL-10 was able to induce significant NK cytotoxic activity against NK-resistant tumor cell targets in both subsets of NK cells in a dose-dependent fashion. Furthermore, the combination of IL-10 and IL-2 had an additive effect on NK cytotoxic activity, whereas that of IL-10 and IL-12 did not. Production of interferon-gamma, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor by IL-2-activated NK cells was also significantly enhanced by IL-10. Neither resting nor activated human NK cells appear to produce human IL-10 protein. In summary, NK cells constitutively express the IL-10R protein in low density, and the functional consequences of IL-10 binding directly to human NK cell subsets appear to be stimulatory and dose-dependent. In contrast to its direct effects on human T cells and monocytes/macrophages, IL-10 potentiates cytokine production by human NK cells.     

Gene expression changes in foam cells and the role of chemokine receptor CCR7 during atherosclerosis regression in ApoE-deficient mice

Atherosclerosis regression is an important clinical goal. In previous studies of regression in mice, the rapid loss of plaque foam cells was explained by emigration to lymph nodes, a process reminiscent of dendritic cells. In the present study, plaque-containing arterial segments from apoE-/- mice were transplanted into WT recipient normolipidemic mice or apoE-/- mice. Three days after transplant, in the WT regression environment, plaque size decreased by approximately 40%, and foam cell content by approximately 75%. In contrast, both parameters increased in apoE-/- recipients. Foam cells were isolated by laser capture microdissection. In WT recipients, there were 3- to 6-fold increases in foam cells of mRNA for liver X receptor alpha and cholesterol efflux factors ABCA1 and SR-BI. Although liver X receptor alpha was induced, there was no detectable expression of its putative activator, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma. Expression levels of VCAM or MCP-1 were reduced to 25% of levels in pretransplant or apoE-/- recipient samples, but there was induction at the mRNA and protein levels of chemokine receptor CCR7, an essential factor for dendritic cell migration. Remarkably, when CCR7 function was abrogated in vivo by treatment of WT recipients with antibodies to CCR7 ligands CCL19 and CCL21, lesion size and foam cell content were substantially preserved. In summary, in foam cells during atherosclerosis regression, there is induction of CCR7 and a requirement for its function. Taken with the other gene expression data, these results in vivo point to complex relationships among the immune system, nuclear hormone receptors, and inflammation during regression.     

Down-regulation of the chemokine receptor CCR5 by activation of chemotactic formyl peptide receptor in human monocytes

Interactions between cell surface receptors are important regulatory elements in the complex host responses to infections. In this study, it is shown that a classic chemotactic factor, the bacterial chemotactic peptide N-formyl-methionyl-leucylphenyl-alanine (fMLF), rapidly induced a protein-kinase-C-mediated serine phosphorylation and down-regulation of the chemokine receptor CCR5, which serves as a major human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 coreceptor. The fMLF binding to its receptor, formyl peptide receptor (FPR), resulted in significant attenuation of cell responses to CCR5 ligands and in inhibition of HIV-1-envelope-glycoprotein-mediated fusion and infection of cells expressing CD4, CCR5, and FPR. The finding that the expression and function of CCR5 can be regulated by peptides that use an unrelated receptor may provide a novel approach to the design of anti-inflamatory and antiretroviral agents. (Blood. 2000;96:2887-2894)     

Coincident expression of the chemokine receptors CCR6 and CCR7 by pathologic Langerhans cells in Langerhans cell histiocytosis

It has been suggested that a switch in chemokine receptor expression underlies Langerhans cell migration from skin to lymphoid tissue. Activated cells are thought to down-regulate CCR6, whose ligand macrophage inflammatory protein-3 alpha (MIP-3 alpha)/CCL20 is expressed in skin, and up-regulate CCR7, whose ligands are in lymphoid tissues. In Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH), pathologic Langerhans cells (LCs) accumulate in several tissues, including skin, bone, and lymphoid organs. We have examined 24 LCH cases and find that pathologic LCs expressed CCR6 and CCR7 coincidentally in all cases. Furthermore, MIP-3 alpha/CCL20 is expressed by keratinocytes in involved skin and by macrophages and osteoblasts in involved bone. Expression of CCR6 by pathologic LCs may contribute to their accumulation in nonlymphoid organs such as skin and bone, whereas CCR7 expression may direct them to lymphoid tissue. Histiocytes in Rosai-Dorfman disease and hemophagocytic syndrome also coexpressed CCR6 and CCR7, suggesting that this may be a general attribute of abnormal histiocytes.     

细胞因子体外扩增脐血CD+34细胞移植SCID鼠人类免疫功能的建立

目的：探讨扩增的脐血ＣＤ３４细胞体内造血功能。方法：ＦＬＴ３ 配体联合血小板生成素体外培养脐血ＣＤ＋３４细胞２～３ 周后移植ＳＣＩＤ鼠,采用ＦＣＭ 检测ＳＣＩＤ鼠骨髓、外周血、脾脏中的人类ＣＤ４５、ＣＤ３、ＣＤ１９抗原。结果：脐血ＣＤ＋３４细胞扩增１０～３７ 倍,移植６．６×１０４～６．９×１０５ 脐血ＣＤ＋３４细胞于ＳＣＩＤ鼠,６ 周后１０ 只ＳＣＩＤ鼠骨髓中均检测到人类ＣＤ４５抗原（０．２％ ～４．０％ ）,６ 只ＳＣＩＤ鼠外周血、脾脏中检测到人类ＣＤ３ 抗原（０．１％ ～２．３％ ）,３ 只ＳＣＩＤ鼠中外周血、脾脏中检测到人类ＣＤ１９抗原（０．３％ ～１．３％ ）。结论：ＦＬＴ３ 配体联合血小板生成素体外扩增的脐血ＣＤ＋３４细胞能重建ＳＣＩＤ鼠人类免疫功能。