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Monocytes activated by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and interferon gamma (IFN gamma) rapidly secrete a number of monokines with different functional properties. Interleukin–4 (IL–4), a T-cell derived cytokine, has been shown to reduce the production of monokines with cytostatic activity for tumor cells, chemotactic activity for monocytes, and factors that stimulate thymocyte proliferation. This latter activity is mediated by a number of monokines like IL–1, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF alpha), and IL–6. To elucidate which cytokines produced by monocytes are controlled by IL–4, we tested the effect of IL–4 on the secretion of IL–1 alpha, IL–1 beta, TNF alpha, and IL–6 induced by LPS or IFN gamma. IL–4 was found to inhibit the secretion of IL–1 beta and TNF alpha by activated monocytes almost 100%. The secretion of IL–6 was found to be reduced 70% to 85% in the presence of IL–4, whereas there was no effect on the secretion of IL–1 alpha (IL–1 alpha is mainly cell- associated). Time-course experiments demonstrate that IL–4 reduces the secretion of monokines for a prolonged period of time (greater than 40 hours). The reduced secretion of IL–1 beta and TNF alpha was specifically induced by IL–4 because anti-IL–4 antiserum completely restored normal monokine production. These data suggest that IL–4 plays a role in the regulation of immune responses by reducing the production of functionally important monokines.

To investigate whether the lymphocyte homing receptor (LHR), an adhesion molecule believed to play an important role in the control of normal lymphocyte circulation, influences the spread of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), expression of LHR was examined in 107 NHL of various histologic and immunophenotypic subclasses. This analysis revealed that whereas NHL with a putative derivation from recirculating mature T and B lymphocytes almost invariably express high levels of LHR, those akin to sessile mature or immature lymphocytes tend to express lower levels of LHR. Furthermore, in a survey among diffuse large-cell lymphomas of the B-lineage, the tumors of 11 of 13 patients with stage III/IV disease expressed moderate to high levels of LHR, whereas only two of 17 patients with stage I/II disease had tumors that did so. These findings suggest that LHR is involved in the dissemination of NHL.

Human peripheral blood monocytes were isolated by counterflow centrifugation elutriation (CCE). This technique was modified in such a way that various monocyte fractions (viability greater than 99%) could be elutriated by increasing the density of the CCE-medium in steps of 0.0027 g/ml. All monocytes showed the same size distributions as determined by electronic sizing, which indicated that they differed in their density only. Both cytoplasmic esterase and peroxidase activity increased with the density of the cells. Furthermore, the monocytes with the highest density were 2.3–4 times more active in an antibody- dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) assay than those with the lowest density. In contrast, the monocyte with the highest density were less capable to induce the proliferation of lymphocytes in mixed leukocyte cultures (MLC) than those with the lowest density. This observation could not be attributed to differences in the expression of HLA-DR determinants, since a monoclonal antibody directed against HLA-DR antigens reacted equally well with the monocytes in different fractions. These results provide evidence for the existence of functionally different subsets of monocytes or different states of differentiation or maturation.

Recently, we cloned the cDNA encoding the melanocyte lineage-specific antigen gp100 and demonstrated that gp100 is recognised by three different monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) used to diagnose malignant melanoma. In addition, we showed that tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL 1200) from a melanoma patient reacted specifically with cells transfected with the gp100 cDNA. Molecular characterisation of the gp100 cDNA revealed that the gp100 antigen is highly homologous, but not identical, to another melanocyte-specific protein, pMel17. Here, we report that cells transfected with pMel17 cDNA also react with all three MAbs used to diagnose malignant melanoma, NKI-beteb, HMB-45 and HMB-50. Moreover, pMel17 transfectants are specifically lysed by TIL1200. These data demonstrate that antigenic processing of both gp100 and pMel17 give rise to peptides seen by anti-melanoma cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) and are therefore potential targets for immunotherapy of malignant melanoma.

Leukocyte function associated antigen 1 (LFA-1) is an adhesion molecule indispensable in immune and inflammatory reactions, but its role in hematopoiesis remains obscure. Since LFA-1 is predominantly expressed by leukocytes, it is considered as a marker of late stage stem cell maturation when expressed on CD34+ bone marrow cells, and represents more mature hematopoietic progenitor cells. We observed that freshly isolated CD34+ bone marrow cells express LFA-1, and that the level of expression is highly variable. Interestingly, the expression of LFA-1 specific activation epitope L16 on these cells is low, even after culture. This demonstrates the LFA-1 is not activated, as was confirmed by low adhesion to ICAM-1. Culturing sorted CD34+ LFA-1+ cells in single cell per well assays in medium supplemented with SCF, Epo, IL-3, Il-6, GM-CSF, and G-CSF revealed that they gave rise to dispersed macrophage-like colonies, supporting the notion that CD34+LFA-1+ cells indeed consist of a mature committed cell population. In contrast, sorted CD34+LFA-1- cells had high proliferative potential and developed into large multilineage colonies within 14 days of culture. Unanticipated, in time course experiments we observed that these CD34+LFA-1- cells expressed LFA-1 within 24 hours upon culture. This induction was neither caused by the monoclonal antibody used to tag CD34 cells, nor dependent on growth factors present in the medium. These findings demonstrate that two populations of CD34+LFA-1+ cells can be discriminated: leukocyte lineage committed CD34+ cells in freshly isolated bone marrow cells, and multipotent CD34+ cells that acquired LFA-1 upon in vitro culture. These in vitro findings support the hypothesis that once contacts with bone marrow stroma are lost, LFA- 1 is upregulated by default, due to the lack of negative regulating signals from stromal cells. This might also explain the widely variable expression of LFA-1 as a result of crowding of cells in the bone marrow with subsequent loss of contact with stroma and upregulation of LFA-1, providing those cells with adhesion receptors enabling migration in the periphery.

We investigated the mechanism by which antihuman CD3 monoclonal antibodies of the isotypes IgG2a (eg, OKT3) and IgA (eg, IXA) can induce the rapid disappearance of virtually all circulating T lymphocytes. We hypothesize that upregulation of adhesion molecules on the lymphocyte membrane contributes to this effect. However, this hypothesis is difficult to test, because of the inherent lymphocytopenia and/or shifts in lymphocyte populations between intra and extra-vascular compartments. Therefore, studies in vitro were performed, as well. Analysis of peripheral blood lymphocytes isolated at several times after addition of OKT3 or IXA to whole blood of healthy individuals showed an immediate increase in the proportion of T cells expressing NKI-L16, an activation epitope on CD11a/CD18. Likewise, an increase in CD11b/CD18 expression occurred. In parallel experiments, a transiently increased adhesion of T cells to endothelial cell monolayers was observed. This adhesion could be completely blocked by anti-CD18 or anti-CD11a monoclonal antibodies and only partly by an anti-CD11b antibody. Our data indicate that upregulation of activation epitopes of CD11a/CD18, as well as increased expression of CD11b/CD18 on T lymphocytes, may result in increased adhesion of these cells to intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and ICAM-2 on vascular endothelium. This phenomenon may, at least, partly explain the rapidly occurring peripheral lymphocytopenia observed in vivo.

The expression of the gp100 antigen is generally thought to be confined to cells of the melanocytic lineage, which makes the protein a suitable melanoma-specific marker. Strikingly, after screening a panel of normal tissues, tumour samples and cell lines of non-melanocytic origin, we found transcripts encoding gp100 in virtually every tissue and cell line tested. In contrast, tyrosinase and MART-1/MelanA transcripts were detected only in cells of the melanocytic lineage. However, no gp100 protein could be detected by either Western blotting or cytotoxicity assays. Therefore, at the protein level, gp100 remains exclusive for cells of melanocytic origin despite its transcription in many cell types. The major implication of this finding is that screening of patient material for gp100 expression should preferrably be performed by antibody staining. Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) can be employed, provided that it is performed in a tightly controlled, semiquantitative setting.

Investigating the regulation of very late antigen (VLA)-mediated functions, we found that TS2/16, a mAb directed against the beta chain of the VLA group of integrins, can induce binding of resting peripheral blood lymphocytes, cloned T lymphocytes, and Epstein Barr virus-transformed B cells to extracellular matrix components, fibronectin, laminin, and collagen, but not to fibrinogen. The antibody stimulates VLA-4-, VLA-5-, and VLA-6-mediated binding. Furthermore, it induces VLA-4-mediated binding to vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 expressed by rTNF-alpha-stimulated endothelial cells, but it does not stimulate homotypic aggregation of cells as described for a number of anti-VLA-4 alpha antibodies (Bednarczyk, J.L., and B. W. McIntyre. 1990. J. Immunol. 144: 777-784; Campanero, M. R., R. Pulido, M. A. Ursa, M. Rodríguez-Moya, M. O. de Landázuri, and F. Sánchez-Madrid. 1990. J. Cell Biol. 110:2157-2165). Therefore, the stimulating activity of this anti-beta 1 antibody clearly contrasts with that of the anti-VLA-4 alpha antibodies, which induce homotypic cell aggregation, but not binding of cells to extracellular matrix components or endothelial cells, indicating that TS2/16 may generate different signals. The observation that also F(ab')2 or Fab fragments of this anti-beta 1 antibody stimulate binding to extracellular matrix components and endothelial cells excludes the possibility that binding requires receptor crosslinking, or is Fc receptor mediated. Induction of this adhesion is cation and energy dependent and requires an intact cytoskeleton. Although changes in the conformation of VLA integrins induced by this antibody may regulate their functional activity, the dependence on metabolic energy indicates that intracellular processes may also play a role.