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Biomedical subjects

Eugene C Butcher

Publications and source records attributed to Eugene C Butcher.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

Rotavirus-specific B cells induced by recent infection in adults and children predominantly express the intestinal homing receptor alpha4beta7.

In vivo replication of rotaviruses is generally limited to enterocytes. Because of this restriction, most blood circulating rotavirus-specific B cells are hypothesized to originate in Peyer's patches and should express the intestinal homing receptor alpha4beta7. To test this hypothesis in humans, we used a flow cytometry assay that identifies antigen-activated (IgD-) B cells (CD19+) that express surface rotavirus-specific immunoglobulin. With this assay we could detect rotavirus-specific B cells in both children and adults with an acute rotavirus (RV) infection. Staining with an anti-alpha4beta7 monoclonal antibody, we could determine that B cells that express rotavirus-specific surface immunoglobulin predominantly express alpha4beta7. The response of rotavirus-specific antibody-secreting cells in the peripheral blood of children and adults with acute rotavirus infection was also studied by ELISPOT. The antibody-secreting cells of children were mainly of the IgM isotype, while the antibody-secreting cells of adults were predominantly of the IgA and IgG isotype. alpha4beta7+ and alpha4beta7- subsets of peripheral blood mononuclear cells were purified using paramagnetic beads and then tested in the ELISPOT assay. Rotavirus-specific antibody-secreting cells were predominantly present in the alpha4beta7+ subpopulation. The flow cytometry assay we have described will permit future studies to characterize the phenotype of virus-specific B cells and could be useful in the study of the immunogenicity and protective efficacy of RV vaccines and the identification of markers of protective immunity.

Adolescent↗

Targeting T cell responses by selective chemokine receptor expression.

Immune responses require the orchestrated migration of T cells throughout the body. Conventional CD4+ and CD8+ alphabeta T cells undergo clonal expansion in the secondary lymphoid tissues, during which they are programmed to migrate into specific non-lymphoid tissues and other lymphoid effector sites such as B cell follicles. By contrast, T cell populations expressing receptors with limited diversity (i.e. gammadelta T cells and NK T cells) appear to be preprogrammed to localize in non-lymphoid tissues where they monitor tissue integrity or serve regulatory functions. By promoting chemotaxis and integrin activation, chemokines and their receptors (in conjunction with surface adhesion molecules) control these T cell homing events. Thus, expression of chemokine receptors defines T cells with tropism for particular tissues and/or microenvironments, and identifies T cell subsets with distinct functional properties.

Animals↗

Liver-infiltrating lymphocytes in end-stage hepatitis C virus: subsets, activation status, and chemokine receptor phenotypes.

BACKGROUND: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a leading cause of chronic liver disease, yet little is known about the intrahepatic immune response in end-stage patients. Chemokines and their receptors are important regulators of immunity, particularly in the migration and localization of circulating leukocytes within peripheral tissues. AIMS: This report provides a comprehensive comparison of the chemokine receptor and activation phenotype of the major leukocyte subsets present in end-stage HCV-infected and non-HCV infected livers. METHODS: Lymphocytes were purified from homogenized explant liver tissue and analyzed by flow cytometry. RESULTS: NK cells are the predominant cell type, followed by T cells, B cells and NK-T cells, independent of HCV status. T cells displayed a memory phenotype and low levels of activation markers. CCR5, CXCR3 and CXCR6 were expressed on a large fraction of activated cells, while moderate to low expression of CCR2, CCR6 and CX(3)CR1 was observed. Several other tissue-specific and inflammatory chemokine receptors were absent from infiltrating lymphocytes. CONCLUSIONS: These results identify the chemokine receptors present on infiltrating lymphocytes during end-stage liver disease and suggest that such infiltration is predominantly controlled by non-tissue-specific inflammatory chemokines, a situation that may be distinct from liver homing pathways under normal conditions.

Biomarkers↗

Chemokines in the systemic organization of immunity.

Directed cellular migrations underlie immune system organization. Chemokines and their receptors (along with surface-adhesion molecules) are central to these migrations, targeting developing and mature leukocytes to tissues and microenvironments suitable for their differentiation and function. The chemokine CXCL12 and its receptor CXCR4 play a central role in the migration of hematopoietic stem cells, and several chemokine receptors are transiently expressed during distinct stages of B- and T-cell development. In the periphery, mature naïve B and T cells utilize the receptors CCR7, CXCR4, and CXCR5 to recirculate through specialized microenvironments within the secondary lymphoid tissues, while effector and memory lymphocytes express bewildering patterns of adhesion molecules and chemokine receptors that allow them to function within microenvironments and non-lymphoid tissues inaccessible to naïve cells. Here, we summarize the role of chemokines and their receptors in the spatial organization of the immune system and consider the implications for immune function.

Animals↗

Plasma-cell homing.

Recent studies indicate that chemoattractant cytokines (chemokines), together with tissue-specific adhesion molecules, coordinate the migration of antibody-secreting cells (ASCs) from their sites of antigen-driven differentiation in lymphoid tissues to target effector tissues. Developing ASCs downregulate the expression of receptors for lymphoid tissue chemokines and selectively upregulate the expression of chemokine receptors that might target the migration of IgA ASCs to mucosal surfaces, IgG ASCs to sites of tissue inflammation and both types of ASC to the bone marrow - an important site for serum antibody production. By directing plasma-cell homing, chemokines might help to determine the character and efficiency of mucosal, inflammatory and systemic antibody responses.

Chemokines↗

Chemokines in lymphocyte trafficking and intestinal immunity.

Lymphocyte migration through gut-associated lymphoid tissues (GALT) and into intestinal effector sites is critical to intestinal immune system function and homeostasis. Chemokines contribute to lymphocyte trafficking by triggering integrin activation and firm arrest in the vasculature and mediating chemotactic localization within tissues. Several chemokines have been identified that are expressed in the GALT and/or the intestines themselves (TECK/CCL25, MEC/CCL28, and MIP-3alpha/CCL20) and play a role in intestinal lymphocyte localization, including unification of intestinal and other mucosa-associated effector sites; segmental specialization of the intestines; and subset selective localization to the intestines. This review examines the role of these chemokines (and their receptors CCR9, CCR10, and CCR6, respectively) in lymphocyte homing to the GALT, in the induction and differentiation of intestinal effector and memory lymphocytes, and in the homeostatic and inflammatory localization of lymphocytes to the intestines.

Animals↗

Motility analysis of pancreatic adenocarcinoma cells reveals a role for the atypical zeta isoform of protein kinase C in cancer cell movement.

The acquisition of an invasive and metastatic phenotype is accompanied by profound alterations of intracellular mechanisms controlling cell movement. Analysis of quantitative parameters of cell motility in cancer cells may help in the identification of intracellular signaling events determining invasion and metastasis. Here we developed a novel procedure of quantification of cell motility based on time-lapse video microscopy and digital image analysis. Three kinetic parameters, including area change, plasma membrane remodeling, and speed of linear movement, are quantified and combined in one single, time-normalized value we defined motility score (MS). Through calculation of the MS for various human pancreatic adenocarcinoma cell subclones, we identified clones characterized by low or high spontaneous motility in vitro. Analysis of the signaling mechanisms involved in the regulation of pancreatic adenocarcinoma cell motility showed that the atypical zeta isozyme of the serine-threonine protein kinase C (PKC) plays a critical role in maintaining a high MS in motile subclones, as demonstrated by the inhibitory effect of cell permeable peptides with sequence corresponding to the pseudosubstrate inhibitory region of the atypical zeta PKC. Other PKC isozymes, either classic or novel, seem not involved. Furthermore, biochemical analysis showed that in motile cells, zeta PKC is constitutively associated with the plasma membrane, whereas in nonmotile cells, zeta PKC is totally excluded from the plasma membrane. These data suggest that the disregulation of the function of atypical zeta PKC might be involved in the acquisition of an invasive and metastatic phenotype in pancreatic adenocarcinoma cells.

3T3 Cells↗

CCR10 expression is a common feature of circulating and mucosal epithelial tissue IgA Ab-secreting cells.

The dissemination of IgA-dependent immunity between mucosal sites has important implications for mucosal immunoprotection and vaccine development. Epithelial cells in diverse gastrointestinal and nonintestinal mucosal tissues express the chemokine MEC/CCL28. Here we demonstrate that CCR10, a receptor for MEC, is selectively expressed by IgA Ab-secreting cells (large s/cIgA(+)CD38(hi)CD19(int/-)CD20(-)), including circulating IgA(+) plasmablasts and almost all IgA(+) plasma cells in the salivary gland, small intestine, large intestine, appendix, and tonsils. Few T cells in any mucosal tissue examined express CCR10. Moreover, tonsil IgA plasmablasts migrate to MEC, consistent with the selectivity of CCR10 expression. In contrast, CCR9, whose ligand TECK/CCL25 is predominantly restricted to the small intestine and thymus, is expressed by a fraction of IgA Ab-secreting cells and almost all T cells in the small intestine, but by only a small percentage of plasma cells and plasmablasts in other sites. These results point to a unifying role for CCR10 and its mucosal epithelial ligand MEC in the migration of circulating IgA plasmablasts and, together with other tissue-specific homing mechanisms, provides a mechanistic basis for the specific dissemination of IgA Ab-secreting cells after local immunization.

Chemotaxis↗

Bovine gamma delta T cell subsets express distinct patterns of chemokine responsiveness and adhesion molecules: a mechanism for tissue-specific gamma delta T cell subset accumulation.

Subsets of gammadelta T cells localize to distinct tissue sites in the absence of exogenous Ag stimulation or development of effector/memory cells. Selective lymphocyte homing from the blood into tissues is controlled by a multistep process involving vascular and lymphocyte adhesion molecules, and G protein-linked chemokine receptors. The role of these mechanisms in the tissue tropism of gammadelta T cells is still poorly understood. In this study, we demonstrate that a subset of gammadelta T cells, most of which express an antigenically distinct TCR and are characterized by coexpression of CD8, selectively accumulated in tissues that expressed high levels of the mucosal vascular addressin, mucosal addressin cell adhesion molecule 1. These cells expressed higher levels of alpha(4)beta(7) integrins than other gammadelta T cell subsets and selectively migrated to the CCR7 ligand secondary lymphoid-tissue chemokine (CCL21). Integrin activation by CCL21 selectively increased CD8(+)gammadelta T cell binding to recombinant mucosal addressin cell adhesion molecule 1. These results suggest that the tropism of circulating CD8(+)gammadelta T cells for mucosal tissues is due, at least in part, to selective developmental expression of adhesion molecules and chemokine receptors.

Animals↗

Cytokine control of memory B cell homing machinery.

The germinal center (GC) is a pivotal site for the development of B cell memory. Whereas GC B cells do not chemotax to most chemokines and do not express the adhesion receptors L-selectin, alpha(4)beta(7), and cutaneous lymphocyte Ag (CLA), memory B cells respond to various chemotactic signals and express adhesion receptors. In this study, we show that CD40 ligand, IL-2, and IL-10 together drive this transition of GC B cells to memory phenotype in vitro, up-regulating memory B cell markers, chemotactic responses to CXC ligand (CXCL)12, CXCL13, and CCL19, and expression of adhesion receptors L-selectin, alpha(4)beta(7), and CLA. Moreover, addition of IL-4 modulates this transition, preventing chemotactic responses to CXCL12 and CXCL13 (but not to CCL19), and inhibiting the re-expression of L-selectin, but not of CLA or alpha(4)beta(7). CCR7 expression, responsiveness to CCL19, and L-selectin/alpha(4)beta(7) phenotype are coordinately regulated. Thus, IL-2/IL-10 and IL-4 play important and distinctive roles in developing the migratory capacities of memory B cells.

B-Lymphocytes↗

Trafficking machinery of NKT cells: shared and differential chemokine receptor expression among V alpha 24(+)V beta 11(+) NKT cell subsets with distinct cytokine-producing capacity.

Natural killer T (NKT) cells are important regulators of the immune system, but their trafficking machinery, including expression of chemokine receptors, has been poorly defined. Unlike other conventional T-cell populations, we show that most NKT cells express receptors for extralymphoid tissue or inflammation-related chemokines (CCR2, CCR5, and CXCR3), while few NKT cells express lymphoid tissue-homing chemokine receptors (CCR7 and CXCR5). A population with homing potential for lymph nodes (L selectin(+) CCR7(+)) exists only within a small subset of CD4 NKT cells. We show differential expression of chemokine receptors among NKT cell subsets: CCR4 is mainly expressed by a high cytokine (interleukin-4/interleukin-2)-producing (CD4) NKT subset, while CCR1, CCR6, and CXCR6 are preferentially expressed by the low cytokine-producing CD8 and CD4(-)CD8(-) subsets. In line with this, TARC/CCL17 (a CCR4 ligand) induces preferential chemotaxis of the CD4 NKT subset, while chemotactic activities of LARC/CCL20 (a CCR6 ligand) and MIP-1 alpha/CCL3 (a CCR1 ligand) are focused on the CD8 and CD4(-)CD8(-) NKT cells. We conclude that, unlike conventional naive, memory, or effector T cells, the entire NKT cell population expresses nonlymphoid tissue homing chemokine receptors, yet NKT cell subsets differ considerably from each other by displaying distinct and reciprocal expression patterns of some chemokine receptors. Our results identify chemokine receptors that are potentially important for trafficking of human blood NKT cell subsets and reveal their function (cytokine production capacity)-dependent differential trafficking potentials.

Blood Circulation↗

Hematopoietic stem cells are uniquely selective in their migratory response to chemokines.

Although hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) migration into and out of sites of active hematopoiesis is poorly understood, it is a critical process that underlies modern clinical stem cell transplantation and may be important for normal hematopoietic homeostasis. Given the established roles of chemotactic cytokine (chemokine)-directed migration of other leukocyte subsets, the migration of murine HSC to a large panel of CC and CXC chemokines was investigated. HSC migrated only in response to stromal derived factor-1alpha, the ligand for the CXC chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4). CXCR4 expression by HSC was confirmed by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction analysis. Surprisingly, HSC also expressed mRNA for CCR3 and CCR9, although they failed to migrate to the ligands for these receptors. The sharply restricted chemotactic responsiveness of HSC is unique among leukocytes and may be necessary for the specific homing of circulating HSC to bone marrow, as well as for the maintenance of HSC in hematopoietic microenvironments.

Animals↗

Correlation of tissue distribution, developmental phenotype, and intestinal homing receptor expression of antigen-specific B cells during the murine anti-rotavirus immune response.

The intestinal homing receptor, alpha(4)beta(7), helps target lymphocytes to Peyer's patches (PP) and intestinal lamina propria (ILP). We have previously shown that protective immunity to rotavirus (RV), an intestinal pathogen, resides in memory B cells expressing alpha(4)beta(7). In this study, using a novel FACS assay, we have directly studied the phenotype of B cells that express surface RV-specific Ig during the in vivo RV immune response. During primary infection, RV-specific B cells first appear as large IgD(-)B220(low)alpha(4)beta(7)(-)and alpha(4)beta(7)(+) cells (presumptive extrafollicular, Ab-secreting B cells), and then as large and small IgD(-)B220(high)alpha(4)beta(7)(-)cells (presumptive germinal center B cells). The appearance of B cells with the phenotype of large IgD(-)B220(low)alpha(4)beta(7)(+) cells in PP and most notably in mesenteric lymph nodes coincides with the emergence of RV-specific Ab-secreting cells (ASC) in the ILP. Thus, these B lymphocytes are good candidates for the migratory population giving rise to the RV-specific ASC in the ILP. RV-specific long-term memory B cells preferentially accumulate in PP and express alpha(4)beta(7). Nine months after infection most RV-specific IgA ASC are found in PP and ILP and at lower frequency in bone marrow and spleen. This study is the first to follow changes in tissue-specific homing receptor expression during Ag-specific B cell development in response to a natural host, tissue-specific pathogen. These results show that alpha(4)beta(7) is tightly regulated during the Ag-specific B cell response to RV and is expressed concurrently with the specific migration of memory and effector B cells to intestinal tissues.

Animals↗

Molecular mechanisms involved in lymphocyte recruitment in inflamed brain microvessels: critical roles for P-selectin glycoprotein ligand-1 and heterotrimeric G(i)-linked receptors.

Lymphocyte recruitment into the brain is a critical event in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis and experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis. We developed a novel intravital microscopy model to directly analyze through the skull the interactions between lymphocytes and the endothelium in cerebral venules of mice. No adhesive interactions were observed between lymphocytes and the nonactivated endothelium in the cerebral microcirculation. When brain venules were activated by pretreating mice with TNF-alpha or LPS, proteolipid protein 139-151 autoreactive T lymphocytes rolled and arrested; notably, only a few peripheral lymph node cells rolled and firmly adhered. Abs anti-P-selectin glycoprotein ligand-1 and anti-E- and P-selectin blocked tethering and rolling of autoreactive lymphocytes, suggesting that P-selectin glycoprotein ligand-1/endothelial selectins are critical in the recruitment of lymphocytes in inflamed brain venules. E- and P-selectin were expressed on cerebral vessels upon in vivo activation and had a patchy distribution during the preclinical phase of active and passive experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis. LFA-1/ICAM-1 and alpha(4) integrins/VCAM-1 supported rolling, but were not relevant to rolling velocity. Firm arrest was mainly mediated by LFA-1 and ICAM-1. Pretreatment of autoreactive lymphocytes with pertussis toxin blocked integrin-dependent arrest, implicating a requirement for G(i) protein-dependent signaling in vessels from nonlymphoid districts. In conclusion, our data unveils the molecular mechanisms controlling the recruitment of autoreactive lymphocytes in inflamed cerebral vessels and suggest new insights into the pathogenesis of autoimmune inflammatory diseases of the CNS.

Animals↗

The intestinal chemokine thymus-expressed chemokine (CCL25) attracts IgA antibody-secreting cells.

Immunoglobulin A (IgA) provides protection against pathogens at mucosal surfaces. Chemotactic responses have been hypothesized to target IgA plasma cells involved in mucosal immune responses. We show here that thymus-expressed chemokine (TECK, CCL25) is a potent and selective chemoattractant for IgA antibody-secreting cells (ASC), efficiently recruiting IgA-producing cells from spleen, Peyer's patches, and mesenteric lymph node. Cells secreting IgA antibody in response to rotavirus, an intestinal pathogen, also respond well. In contrast, IgG- and IgM-ASC respond poorly. Epithelial cells in the small intestines, a principal site of IgA-ASC localization and IgA production in the body, highly and selectively express TECK. The migration of IgA-ASC to the intestinal epithelial cell chemokine TECK may help target IgA-producing cells to the gut wall, thus helping define and segregate the intestinal immune response.

Animals↗

Rapid acquisition of tissue-specific homing phenotypes by CD4(+) T cells activated in cutaneous or mucosal lymphoid tissues.

Effector and memory T cells can be subdivided based on their ability to traffic through peripheral tissues such as inflamed skin and intestinal lamina propria, a property controlled by expression of 'tissue-specific' adhesion and chemoattractant receptors. However, little is known about the development of these selectively homing T cell subsets, and it is unclear whether activation in cutaneous versus intestinal lymphoid organs directly results in effector/memory T cells that differentially express adhesion and chemoattractant receptors targeting them to the corresponding nonlymphoid site. We define two murine CD4(+) effector/memory T cell subsets that preferentially localize in cutaneous or intestinal lymphoid organs by their reciprocal expression of the adhesion molecules P-selectin ligand (P-lig) and alpha 4 beta 7, respectively. We show that within 2 d of systemic immunization CD4(+) T cells activated in cutaneous lymph nodes upregulate P-lig, and downregulate alpha 4 beta 7, while those responding to antigen in intestinal lymph nodes selectively express high levels of alpha 4 beta 7 and acquire responsiveness to the intestinal chemokine thymus-expressed chemokine (TECK). Thus, during an immune response, local microenvironments within cutaneous and intestinal secondary lymphoid organs differentially direct T cell expression of these adhesion and chemoattractant receptors, targeting the resulting effector T cells to the inflamed skin or intestinal lamina propria.

Animals↗

Chemokines in rapid leukocyte adhesion triggering and migration.

Leukocyte subsets are recruited from the blood to lymphoid and non-lymphoid tissues via a multi-step process that involves distinct adhesive and activation steps. Chemokines, a family of chemotactic cytokines that signal through G-protein-coupled receptors, play critical roles in regulating the leukocyte recruitment cascade. Chemokines can be transported and immobilized on the surface of vascular endothelial cells, where they activate leukocyte subsets expressing specific receptors. Activation signals induce firm adhesion of rolling leukocytes by rapidly upregulating integrin affinity and/or avidity. Chemokines can also direct migration of adherent cells across the endothelium, and control segregation of cells into specific microenvironments within tissues. The regulated expression of chemokines and their receptors is a critical determinant for homing of specialized lymphocyte subsets, and controls both tissue and inflammation-specific immune processes.

Animals↗

Vascular morphogenesis and differentiation after adoptive transfer of human endothelial cells to immunodeficient mice.

To establish a model for adoptive transfer of endothelial cells, we transferred human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) to immunodeficient mice (Rag 2(-/-)). HUVECs were suspended as single cells in Matrigel and injected subcutaneously in the abdominal midline. Within 10 days after injection, HUVECs expressed pseudopod-like extensions and began to accumulate in arrays. By day 20, we observed human vessels that contained erythrocytes, and on day 30 we observed perivascular cells that expressed smooth muscle actin, thus resembling mature vessels. Throughout the experimental period, HUVECs bound Ulex europaeus lectin and expressed CD31, VE-cadherin, von Willebrand factor, as well as ICAM-2. A fraction of the cells also expressed the proliferation marker Ki67. Moreover, the sialomucin CD34, which is rapidly down-regulated in cultured HUVECs, was reinduced in vivo. However, we found no reinduction of CD34 in cells cultured inside or on top of Matrigel in vitro. We also injected cells suspended in Matrigel around the catheter tip of implanted osmotic pumps. Delivery of recombinant human interferon-gamma by this route led to strong induction of MHC class II and ICAM-1 on the human vessels. In conclusion, isolated human endothelial cells can integrate with the murine vascular system to form functional capillaries and regain in vivo properties.

Actins↗