Binding of Oxidized Jurkat Cells to THP-1 Macrophages and Antiband 3 IgG through Sialylated Poly-N-acetyllactosaminyl Sugar Chains

B lymphocytes in systemic lupus erythematosus: lessons from therapy targeting B cells

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a complex disease characterizedby numerous autoantibodies and clinical involvement in multiple organ systems. Autoantibodies are usually present in serum for years before the onset of clinical disease. Autoimmunity begins with a limited number of autoantibodiesand evolves to become progressivelymore diverse. Eventually clinical disease ensues. The immunological events triggering the onset of clinical manifestations have not yet been defined. While undoubtedly T cells and dendritic cells appear to play major roles in SLE, a central role for B cells in the pathogenesis of this disease has been brought to the fore in the last few years by work performed both in mice and humans by multiple laboratories.As a result, there is little doubt about the importance of B cells in the development of SLE. Yet much remains to be learned about their role in the ongoing disease process and the merit of targeting B cells for the treatment of SLE. This article will review the role of B cells in human SLE as well as the currently available data on the treatment of SLE by depleting B cells with anti-CD20 (rituximab).

Macrophage recognition of thiol-group oxidized cells: recognition of carbohydrate chains by macrophage surface nucleolin as apoptotic cells

The mechanism was investigated for macrophage recognition of cells oxidized by diamide, a thiol group-specific oxidizing reagent. Jurkat cells exposed to various concentrations of diamide were recognized by macrophages, the cells exposed to 25 µM diamide being best recognized. CD43, a major glycoprotein on the Jurkat cell surface, tended to form clusters upon diamide oxidization, and pretreating Jurkat cells with the anti-CD43 antibody inhibited macrophage binding. This indicates that macrophages appeared to recognize CD43. Sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and a Western blot analysis of CD43 of the diamide-oxidized cells showed no increase in the amount of cross-linked CD43 compared with control cells, indicating that cross-linking of CD43 by a disulphide bond was not involved in the clustering. Both CD43 clustering and binding of the oxidized cells to macrophages was prevented by the caspase inhibitor, benzyloxycarbonyl-Val-Ala-Asp (OMe) fluoromethyl ketone (Z-VAD-fmk), suggesting that the oxidized and macrophage-bound cells were undergoing apoptosis. A closer examination revealed that the caspase-3 activity, chromatin condensation, and DNA fragmentation in Jurkat cells were all increased by oxidation. The macrophage receptor involved in the binding appeared to be the cell-surface protein, nucleolin; an anti-nucleolin antibody treatment inhibited the binding. These results suggest that thiol group-oxidized cells underwent early apoptosis and were recognized by nucleolin on macrophages as early apoptotic cells.

Clearance of oxidatively damaged cells by macrophages: recognition of glycoprotein clusters by macrophage-surface nucleolin as early apoptotic cells

The mechanism of macrophage recognition of oxidatively damaged cells was investigated. Jurkat T cells exposed to various concentrations of H(2)O(2) were bound and phagocytosed by macrophages. The cells exposed to 0.1 mM H(2)O(2) were best bound. The cell-surface ligands recognized by macrophages were suggested to be sialylpolylactosaminyl sugar chains of a major sialoglycoprotein CD43 because 1) the cell binding was inhibited by oligosaccharides containing sialylpolylactosaminyl chains, and their inhibitory activity was destroyed by a polylactosamine-cleaving enzyme endo-beta-galactosidase, and by neuraminidase; 2) the oxidized Jurkat cells pretreated with either glycosidase or with anti-CD43 antibody were not bound. The macrophage receptor involved in the binding was suggested to be cell-surface nucleolin because 1) anti-nucleolin antibody inhibited the binding; 2) nucleolin-transfected HEK293 cells bound the oxidized cells; and 3) this binding was inhibited by anti-nucleolin antibody and by anti-CD43 antibody. CD43 on oxidized Jurkat cells tended to form clusters in good accordance with their susceptibility to the macrophage binding. CD43 clustering and the oxidized-cell binding to macrophages were prevented by a caspase inhibitor Z-VAD-fmk, suggesting that the oxidized and bound cells were undergoing apoptosis. Indeed, caspase-3 activity of Jurkat cells increased by the oxidation. These results suggest that moderately oxidized cells undergo apoptosis and are recognized by macrophages as early apoptotic cells.

Stereotyped patterns of somatic hypermutation in subsets of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia: implications for the role of antigen selection in leukemogenesis

Somatic hypermutation (SHM) features in a series of 1967 immunoglobulin heavy chain gene (IGH) rearrangements obtained from patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) were examined and compared with IGH sequences from non-CLL B cells available in public databases. SHM analysis was performed for all 1290 CLL sequences in this cohort with less than 100% identity to germ line. At the cohort level, SHM patterns were typical of a canonical SHM process. However, important differences emerged from the analysis of certain subgroups of CLL sequences defined by: (1) IGHV gene usage, (2) presence of stereotyped heavy chain complementarity-determining region 3 (HCDR3) sequences, and (3) mutational load. Recurrent, “stereotyped” amino acid changes occurred across the entire IGHV region in CLL subsets carrying stereotyped HCDR3 sequences, especially those expressing the IGHV3-21 and IGHV4-34 genes. These mutations are underrepresented among non-CLL sequences and thus can be considered as CLL-biased. Furthermore, it was shown that even a low level of mutations may be functionally relevant, given that stereotyped amino acid changes can be found in subsets of minimally mutated cases. The precise targeting and distinctive features of somatic hypermutation (SHM) in selected subgroups of CLL patients provide further evidence for selection by specific antigenic element(s).

A multifunctional shuttling protein nucleolin is a macrophage receptor for apoptotic cells

Early apoptotic Jurkat T cells undergo capping of CD43, and its polylactosaminyl saccharide chains serve as ligands for phagocytosis by macrophages. This suggests the presence of a polylactosaminoglycan-binding receptor on macrophages. Here we show that this receptor is nucleolin, a multifunctional shuttling protein present in nucleus, cytoplasm, and on the surface of some types of cells. Nucleolin was detected at the surface of macrophages, and anti-nucleolin antibody inhibited the binding of the early apoptotic cells to macrophages. Nucleolin-transfected HEK293 cells expressed nucleolin on the cell surface and bound the early apoptotic cells but not phosphatidylserine-exposing late apoptotic cells. This binding was inhibited by anti-nucleolin antibody, by polylactosamine-containing oligosaccharides, and by anti-CD43 antibody. Deletion of the antibody binding region of nucleolin resulted in loss of the apoptotic cell-binding ability. Moreover, truncated recombinant nucleolin in solution containing this region blocked the apoptotic cell binding to macrophages, and the blocking effect was cancelled by the oligosaccharides. These results indicate that nucleolin is a macrophage receptor for apoptotic cells.

Defense of Living Body against Oxidative Damage

Living bodies may experience oxidative stress induced by reactive oxygen species and heavy metal ions, which may damage components in the body and cause aging and disorders. In addition to the known defense systems against oxidative damage, the author describes new defense systems. Lipid peroxidation in living bodies, which has hitherto been thought to increase oxidative damage, was found to attenuate oxidative stress-induced DNA damage. Red blood cells become senescent due to oxidative stress during circulation, where membrane band 3 becomes aggregated to anti-band 3 IgG and macrophages attached through poly-N-acetyllactosaminyl sugar chains, and the sugar chain attachment to macrophages is stimulated by oxidative stress in macrophages. Oxidized protein hydrolase that preferentially hydrolyzes proteins damaged by oxidative stress was newly discovered, which may play an important role in saving cells from oxidative damage.

Lupus IgG VH4.34 Antibodies Bind to a 220-kDa Glycoform of CD45/B220 on the Surface of Human B Lymphocytes

Anti-lymphocyte autoantibodies are a well-recognized component of the autoimmune repertoire in human systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and have been postulated to have pathogenic consequences. Early studies indicated that IgM anti-lymphocyte autoantibodies mainly recognized T cells and identified CD45, a protein tyrosine phosphatase of central significance in the modulation of lymphocyte function, as the main antigenic target on T cells. However, more recent work indicates that lupus autoantibodies can also recognize B cells and that CD45 may also represent their antigenic target. In particular, IgM Abs encoded by V(H)4.34 appear to have special tropism for B cells, and strong, but indirect evidence suggests that they may recognize a B cell-specific CD45 isoform. Because V(H)4.34 Abs are greatly expanded in SLE, in the present study we investigated the antigenic reactivity of lupus sera V(H)4.34 IgG Abs and addressed their contribution to the anti-lymphocyte autoantibody repertoire in this disease. Our biochemical studies conclusively demonstrate that lupus IgG V(H)4.34 Abs target a developmentally regulated B220-specific glycoform of CD45, and more specifically, an N-linked N-acetyllactosamine determinant preferentially expressed on naive B cells that is sterically masked by sialic acid on B220-positive memory B cells. Strikingly, our data also indicate that this reactivity in SLE sera is restricted to V(H)4.34 Abs and can be eliminated by depleting these Abs. Overall, our data indicate that V(H)4.34 Abs represent a major component of the lupus IgG autoantibody repertoire and suggest that the carbohydrate moiety they recognize may act as a selecting Ag in SLE.

Carbohydrate-mediated phagocytic recognition of early apoptotic cells undergoing transient capping of CD43 glycoprotein

A novel mechanism of phagocytic recognition of apoptotic cells was found and characterized. Jurkat cells incubated with appropriate concentrations of etoposide or anti-Fas antibody transiently became susceptible to binding and phagocytosis by THP-1 cell-derived macrophages at 2 h. The bound Jurkat cells showed no chromatin condensation, but the binding was prevented by a caspase inhibitor, indicating that they were recognized at an early stage of apoptosis. The ligands recognized on the apoptotic cells were sialylpolylactosaminyl sugar chains because 1) the binding was inhibited by an oligosaccharide preparation of erythrocyte membrane, and its inhibitory activity was destroyed by polylactosaminoglycan-specific endo-beta-galactosidase or neuraminidase; 2) Jurkat cells pretreated with endo-beta-galactosidase or neuraminidase failed to be recognized; and 3) treatment of the apoptotic cells with polylactosaminoglycan-binding Datura stramonium agglutinin prevented recognition. The sialylpolylactosaminyl chains involved were most likely those of a major sialoglycoprotein CD43 because anti-CD43 antibody inhibited recognition. CD43 on apoptotic Jurkat cells was found to form a cap at 2 h, and the cap disappeared at 4 h. This transient capping of CD43 coincided with the transient increase in the susceptibility of the cells to macrophage recognition, suggesting that CD43 capping is responsible for generation of the carbohydrate ligands for recognition. Furthermore, microscopic observation suggested that the apoptotic cells were recognized at the CD43 cap. Taken together, we conclude that apoptotic Jurkat cells transiently undergo CD43 capping at an early stage of apoptosis and are recognized by macrophages through the cluster of sialylpolylactosaminyl chains of the capped CD43.

Water-soluble antioxidants inhibit macrophage recognition of oxidized erythrocytes

Effect of exogenously added water-soluble antioxidants on the mouse macrophage lectin-like receptor activity for oxidized erythrocytes was investigated. A monolayer of thioglycollate-induced mouse peritoneal macrophages was preincubated with each of the antioxidants at 37 degrees C for 1 h, and the binding for mouse erythrocytes oxidized with ADP-chelated Fe(III) was examined. The binding was decreased by preincubation of macrophages with ascorbic acid-related compounds including ascorbic acid, erythorbic acid and dehydroascorbic acid in a dose-dependent fashion at relatively high concentrations above 10 microM. The binding was similarly decreased by preincubation of macrophages with catechin compounds including epicatechin, epigallocatechin, epicatechin gallate and epigallocatechin gallate in a dose-dependent fashion at 0.01-100 microM. The binding was more effectively decreased by preincubation of macrophages with thiol-related compounds including glutathione, oxidized glutathione, glutathione isopropyl ester and N-acetylcysteine in a dose dependent fashion at relatively low doses below 1 microM. These results showed that water-soluble antioxidants especially glutathione and its derivatives reduced the ability of macrophages to bind oxidized erythrocytes, suggesting that the activity of lectin-like receptors of macrophages for oxidized erythrocytes was regulated by oxidative mechanisms.