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Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF alpha) mediates proliferation, functional activation, and apoptotic cell death depending on the target cell type. Although sphingomyelin (SPM) hydrolysis and ceramide generation may function as an important mediator in TNF alpha signaling, the molecular mechanisms of the signaling pathway(s) are still not well understood. The aim of the present study is to compare the effect of TNF alpha on SPM metabolism and cell growth in two myeloid leukemic cell lines (U937 and KG1a) that differ in their sensitivity to TNF alpha. Our results show that TNF alpha induced apoptosis in U937 but not in KG1a cells. TNF alpha triggered in KG1a cells neither SPM hydrolysis nor ceramide generation, but induced SPM synthesis and ceramide breakdown as well as dose-dependent cell proliferation. In contrast, TNF alpha induced in U937 SPM hydrolysis and ceramide generation as well as dose-dependent cell death. Synthetic cell permeant ceramide, as well as natural ceramide, generated by treatment with bacterial sphingomyelinase (SPMase), all induced apoptosis in both U937 and KG1a cells. These findings indicate that the SPM-ceramide pathway is altered in KG1a cells upstream of the ceramide generation. Analysis of the transverse distribution of SPM in the plasma membrane showed that the SPM pool involved in cell signaling (inner leaflet) was markedly reduced in KG1a cells; it is 7-fold lower than that found in the inner leaflet of U937 cells. Therefore, our study strongly suggests that the different responses induced by TNF alpha in myeloid cells are dependent on the SPM plasma membrane transverse asymmetry.

Leukemic CD34+ immature acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cells express Fas receptor but are frequently resistant to Fas agonistic reagents. Fas plays an important role in T-cell–mediated cytotoxicity, and recently it has been suggested that altered Fas signaling may contribute to drug resistance. Therefore, Fas resistance could be one of the mechanisms by which AML progenitors escape chemotherapy or T-cell–based immune intervention. However, the molecular mechanism of Fas resistance in AML cells has not been identified. Fas signaling can be interrupted at 3 mains levels: Fas clustering, alteration of death-inducing-signaling-complex (DISC) formation, and effector caspase inhibition of downstream caspase-8. This study shows that in the Fas-resistant CD34+CD38− KG1a cells, Fas agonists resulted in Fas aggregation but not in caspase-8 activation, related to a defect in DISC formation. However, pretreatment with chelerythrin, but not with calphostin C, resulted in the restoration of Fas-induced caspase-8 activation and cytotoxicity, suggesting that some atypical protein kinase C (PKC) isoforms contributed to the lack of DISC formation. Indeed, treatment with antisense oligonucleotides directed against PKCζ and enforced expression of Par-4, a negative regulator of PKCζ activity, restored Fas-induced caspase-8 activity and apoptosis. Moreover, it was found that PKCζ interacts with FADD and that PKCζ immunoextracts prepared from KG1a cells are able to phosphorylate FADD in vitro, whereas this phosphorylation is dramatically reduced in Par-4 transfectant cells. In conclusion, it is suggested that in AML cells, PKCζ plays an important role in Fas resistance by inhibiting DISC formation, possibly by phosphorylating FADD.

Adhesion molecules can improve hematopoietic cell survival; however, their role in leukemic cell resistance to drug-induced apoptosis is poorly documented. The CD44 adhesion molecule is strongly expressed on acute myeloid leukemia (AML) blasts. Using 2 myeloid cell lines, HL60 and NB4, evidence is presented that prior incubation with the CD44-specific monoclonal antibody (mAb) A3D8, reported to induce differentiation of AML blasts, significantly decreases apoptosis induced by 3 drugs used in AML chemotherapy: daunorubicin (DNR), mitoxantrone, and etoposide. In addition, in HL60 cells, CD44 ligation with A3D8 mAb fully abrogates the DNR-triggered generation of ceramide, a lipid second messenger involved in the DNR apoptotic signaling pathway. Moreover, results show that the A3D8 mAb and Bcl-2 additively inhibit DNR-induced apoptosis in HL60 cells overexpressing Bcl-2. These results suggest that, to eradicate AML blasts, the differentiation-inducing anti-CD44 mAb A3D8 should not be administered prior to apoptosis-inducing drugs.

Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF alpha) mediates proliferation, functional activation, and apoptotic cell death depending on the target cell type. Although sphingomyelin (SPM) hydrolysis and ceramide generation may function as an important mediator in TNF alpha signaling, the molecular mechanisms of the signaling pathway(s) are still not well understood. The aim of the present study is to compare the effect of TNF alpha on SPM metabolism and cell growth in two myeloid leukemic cell lines (U937 and KG1a) that differ in their sensitivity to TNF alpha. Our results show that TNF alpha induced apoptosis in U937 but not in KG1a cells. TNF alpha triggered in KG1a cells neither SPM hydrolysis nor ceramide generation, but induced SPM synthesis and ceramide breakdown as well as dose-dependent cell proliferation. In contrast, TNF alpha induced in U937 SPM hydrolysis and ceramide generation as well as dose-dependent cell death. Synthetic cell permeant ceramide, as well as natural ceramide, generated by treatment with bacterial sphingomyelinase (SPMase), all induced apoptosis in both U937 and KG1a cells. These findings indicate that the SPM-ceramide pathway is altered in KG1a cells upstream of the ceramide generation. Analysis of the transverse distribution of SPM in the plasma membrane showed that the SPM pool involved in cell signaling (inner leaflet) was markedly reduced in KG1a cells; it is 7-fold lower than that found in the inner leaflet of U937 cells. Therefore, our study strongly suggests that the different responses induced by TNF alpha in myeloid cells are dependent on the SPM plasma membrane transverse asymmetry.

We previously reported the presence in platelet eluates of autoantibodies directed against epitopes of the platelet glycoprotein (GP)IIb/IIIa complex in acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)-free human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients with immunologic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP). We investigated whether HIV antibodies recognized platelet membrane antigens to determine whether the virus might be directly or indirectly responsible for the thrombocytopenia in this context. Direct eluates of platelets from 25 patients with HIV- related ITP contained IgG reacting with HIV-GP160/120 and also, in 45% of patients, detectable antiplatelet antibodies, immunochemically characterized as anti-GPIIb and/or anti-GPIIIa in 5 patients. Furthermore, serum HIV-GP160/120 antibodies could be absorbed on and eluted from platelets from normal non-HIV-infected healthy blood donors (indirect eluates). In contrast, GP160/120 antibodies present in the serum of nonthrombocytopenic HIV-infected patients were not absorbable on normal platelets in most patients, suggesting a pathogenic role in HIV-related ITP. We performed detailed studies of a patient with the highest titer of both HIV-GP160/120 and GPIIb/IIIa antibodies in direct and indirect platelet eluates. No antibody binding to GPIIb/IIIa- deficient Glanzmann thrombasthenic platelets was detected. Furthermore, binding/elution experiments conducted with insoluble recombinant GP160 (expressed in baculovirus) and purified platelet GPIIb/IIIa demonstrated that the patient's IgG bound specifically, through the F(ab')2 portion, to a common epitope of HIV-GP160/120 and platelet GPIIb/IIIa. This common epitope was present on a recombinant GP160 expressed in baculovirus but absent from another recombinant GP160 expressed in vaccinia virus, suggesting that the cross-reactivity is dependent on the glycosylation or conformational structure of the GP. We conclude that molecular mimicry between HIV-GP160/120 and platelet GPIIb/IIIa may explain at least some cases of ITP in AIDS-free HIV- infected patients.

Twenty-one human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive patients, including 11 acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)-free patients with immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP), were studied to determine whether the megakaryocytic/platelet lineage was infected by HIV. Because purification of platelets did not reach a level sufficient for unequivocal results by the polymerase chain reaction, in situ hybridization was thus performed. Purified marrow megakaryocytes (MK) from 10 HIV-infected ITP patients were studied using a 35S HIV riboprobe, antisense of an HIV ENV sequence. HIV transcripts were clearly detected in MK from five of these 10 patients, although heterogeneity among MK was observed. In three of these five cases, small amounts of HIV glycoproteins were detected in MK by means of immunofluorescence. In addition anti-HIV antibodies could be eluted from platelets of all patients. In contrast, HIV transcripts were not detected in MK derived from colony-forming units-MK (CFU-MK) cultured in suspension, suggesting either that MK are infected by HIV during terminal differentiation or that HIV-infected CFU-MK are unable to differentiate in vitro. In conclusion, this study suggests that HIV infection of MK may be implicated in the pathogenesis of thrombocytopenia of HIV-positive patients.

A murine monoclonal antibody (GA3) obtained by immunizing mice with cells of the human erythroleukemic cell line K562 is shown to define a 105 kilodalton (kd) membrane antigen on K562 cells that is restricted within the hematopoietic system to the erythroid lineage and to a minor population of CD3, CD4 positive T lymphocytes. Cocapping studies and immunoprecipitation experiments performed with GA3 and L10, an anti- sialophorin monoclonal antibody reacting with leukosialin (Gp 105) on K562 cells, demonstrate that the antigen detected by GA3 on K562 cells is identical to leukosialin. Neuraminidase treatment but not tunicamycin treatment of K562 cells abolishes the expression of the GA3- epitope without affecting the L10-epitope thus providing evidence that terminal sialic acid present on O-linked oligosaccharide chains on Gp 105 is essential for the expression of the GA3-epitope. Further analysis by flow cytometry and immune panning experiments performed on bone marrow cells with GA3 or L10 demonstrate that, in contrast to L10, which reacts with all types of hematopoietic progenitors, the epitope recognized by GA3 is restricted to the erythroid lineage, and appears during erythroid differentiation before glycophorin A on the earliest morphologically recognizable erythroid precursor, the proerythroblast. Our results therefore suggest that O-linked oligosaccharides on leukosialin express lineage restricted and even maturation restricted antigenic structures that might serve as cell lineage specific markers.