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Biomedical subjects

T Espevik

Publications and source records attributed to T Espevik.

At least 127 records · Page 7Linked to original sources

A flow cytometric and immunofluorescence microscopic study of tumor necrosis factor production and localization in human monocytes.

The production and localization of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) in human monocytes were investigated by using monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies against recombinant human TNF together with flow cytometry and immunofluorescence microscopy. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced a rapid and transient accumulation of TNF in perinuclear vesicles which was detected 20 min after the addition of LPS. The fluorescence intensity of the vesicles peaked at 40 min of LPS exposure, concomitantly with the release of TNF into the medium. Thus, our results indicate that the secretion of TNF is typical for secretory proteins as it involves passage through the secretory apparatus. Additional studies demonstrated that plasma membrane-associated TNF could not be detected in live monocytes not exposed to LPS. However, after 90 min with LPS, a small population of monocytes expressed membrane-associated TNF, and by 24 hr approximately 50% of the monocytes displayed TNF on the plasma membrane. Furthermore, our results indicate that plasma membrane-associated TNF does not represent released TNF bound back to its own receptor. Thus, our findings support the view that TNF exists as a surface trans-membrane protein in LPS-stimulated monocytes.

Cell Compartmentation↗

Retinoic acid induces a specific membrane glycoprotein in human epithelial cell lines.

Retinoic acid (RA) inhibits growth, increases the cytokeratin content, and alters the cytoskeleton of the human cervical cell line NHIK 3025. Using RA-treated NHIK 3025 cells as immunogen we prepared murine monoclonal antibodies (IgG1) which recognized an RA-induced cell-surface antigen which could not be detected in untreated NHIK 3025 cells. Analysis of the Triton soluble proteins by SDS-gel electrophoresis and immunoblotting revealed that the cell-surface antigen is a 140-kDa glycoprotein (gp140). gp140 was also shown to be induced by RA in HeLa S3 cells and constitutively expressed in the human trophoblast cell line BeWo. gp140 was also detected in other human epithelial cell lines, but not in human hematopoietic cells. Expression of gp140 was induced in HeLa S3 cells by nanomolar concentrations of RA, and in NHIK 3025 cells by micromolar amounts (1-10 microM). The glycoprotein was detectable 3-6 h following exposure to RA and its expression was reversible upon removal of RA from the medium. Our results indicate that gp140 is a newly identified RA-inducible epithelial membrane glycoprotein which may represent a phenotypic differentiation marker for epithelial cells.

Animals↗

Endotoxin, tumor necrosis factor-alpha and interleukin 1 induce interleukin 6 production in vivo.

The ability of Escherichia coli-derived lipopolysaccharide (LPS), recombinant (r) interleukin 1-beta (rIL-1 beta), and r murine tumor necrosis factor-alpha (rMuTNF-alpha) to induce interleukin 6 (IL-6) production in vivo was investigated. Peak serum IL-6 concentration was attained after 2 hr of LPS injection into mice. The coinjection of antiserum against rMuTNF-alpha with LPS resulted in a reduction of the induced serum IL-6 level, indicating the involvement of endogenous TNF-alpha in LPS induction of IL-6. Recombinant IL-1 beta and rMuTNF-alpha injected directly caused the production of substantial amounts of IL-6 within 30 min. The injection of a combination of rIL-1 beta and rTNF-alpha induced a significantly greater level of IL-6 than either agent alone. The greater level of serum IL-6 was associated with hypothermia and an increased lethality among mice injected with both cytokines. These data demonstrate the abilities of IL-1 beta and TNF-alpha to induce IL-6 production in vivo and indicate that LPS induction of IL-6 may be mediated, at least partially, through TNF-alpha action. The data describe a new in vivo biologic activity shared between IL-1 beta and TNF-alpha and suggest that IL-6 may be an important effector in the manifestation of TNF-alpha and IL-1 beta actions in vivo.

Animals↗

Interleukin-6 in synovial fluid from patients with arthritis.

Synovial fluid and serum from patients with rheumatoid arthritis, other inflammatory arthritides, and traumatic arthritis were assayed for the presence of interleukin-6 (IL-6) by means of an IL-6-dependent mouse hybridoma cell line. The cytokine was detected in all the samples of synovial fluid (range 50-22000 U/ml). IL-6 in synovial fluid was positively correlated (r = 0.58, P = 0.03) with the erythrocyte sedimentation rate in patients with inflammatory arthritis. In serum, the concentration of IL-6 was slightly elevated in some patients with rheumatoid arthritis. The results demonstrate that IL-6 is released into synovial fluid in joints affected by arthritis, and there appears to be an association between the levels of IL-6 and disease activity.

Adolescent↗

The involvement of human tumor necrosis factors-alpha and -beta in the mixed lymphocyte reaction.

The influence of recombinant human TNF-alpha and -beta (rHuTNF-alpha and -beta) in a human mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR) was investigated. The addition of 1000 U/ml of either cytokine at the initiation of culture caused up to a sixfold increase in [3H]thymidine incorporation by responder cells. Furthermore, it was found that endogenous HuTNF-alpha is produced after allogeneic cell interaction and can be detected in the MLR supernatant within 1 h of culture initiation. The results also show that, in the absence of exogenous HuTNF-alpha, antibodies to rHuTNF-alpha can cause a significant inhibition of the MLR. These observations indicate the importance of TNF-alpha in allogeneic cell interaction and raise considerations for the use of antibodies, or other antagonists, to TNF-alpha as regulators of disease states associated with cell-mediated immune reactions.

Animals↗

Interleukin 1 potentiates the lethal effect of tumor necrosis factor alpha/cachectin in mice.

Human rIL-1 alpha and human rIL-1 beta were examined for their ability to potentiate the lethal and hypothermic effects of mouse rTNF-alpha in mice. The LD50 of rTNF-alpha was 1.5 micrograms/mouse, whereas the LD50 of rTNF-alpha was reduced to 0.4 micrograms/mouse and 0.5 micrograms/mouse when rTNF-alpha was administered in combination with a nonlethal dose of rIL-1 alpha or rIL-1 beta, respectively. A similar rTNF-alpha enhancing effect of the rIL-1 was observed on the temperature response. The results show that the rIL-1 markedly potentiate the effects of rTNF-alpha on lethality and temperature in mice, and support our suggestion that TNF-alpha and IL-1 may have synergistic lethal effect in human septic shock.

Animals↗

Tumor necrosis factor alpha/cachectin is a growth factor for thymocytes. Synergistic interactions with other cytokines.

Recombinant murine (rm) TNF-alpha but not recombinant human (rh) TNF-alpha induces the proliferation of murine thymocytes in the presence of a comitogenic stimulus. This effect does not appear to be due to the production of significant levels of IL-1, IL-2, or IL-4. although not directly mitogenic (i.e., in the absence of PHA-P) for thymocytes, rmTNF-alpha amplifies the direct mitogenic signals from hIL-1 and rhIL-2 but not rmIL-4. In the presence of PHA-P, thymocytes stimulated with hIL-1, rhIL-2, and rmIL-4 produced significant amounts of TNF-alpha. Although rhTNF-alpha does not induce a proliferative response, it will competitively inhibit the proliferative response of thymocytes to rmTNF-alpha. These data suggest a critical role for TNF-alpha in the intrathymic proliferation of developing T cells.

Animals↗

Transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-beta 1) and recombinant human tumor necrosis factor-alpha reciprocally regulate the generation of lymphokine-activated killer cell activity. Comparison between natural porcine platelet-derived TGF-beta 1 and TGF-beta 2, and recombinant human TGF-beta 1.

We have investigated the ability of porcine-platelet-derived transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-beta 1) to inhibit the generation of lymphokine-activated killer (LAK) cells by human rIL-2. The results demonstrate that TGF-beta 1, in a dose-related manner, significantly inhibits rIL-2-induced LAK cell activity against Daudi and COLO target cells and, to a lesser degree, against K-562 cells. Maximal inhibition was obtained by the addition of TGF-beta 1 at the time of culture initiation and, to a lesser degree, on day 1. Only minimal inhibition was obtained when TGF-beta 1 addition was delayed until day 2 of culture or when added directly into the LAK cell assay. Additional studies demonstrated that porcine platelet-derived TGF-beta 2 and human rTGF-beta 1 inhibited LAK cell generation similar to that obtained with TGF-beta 1. The inhibition of LAK cell activity by TGF-beta 1 was reversed by the addition of human rTNF-alpha at the initiation of culture. In addition, rTNF-alpha synergized with suboptimal levels of rIL-2 in the generation of LAK activity. After stimulation with rIL-2, LAK cells produced significant levels of IFN-gamma, TNF-alpha, and TNF-beta. TGF-beta 1 inhibited the production of these cytokines in a dose-related manner. The results extend the previous known activities for human rTNF-alpha and TGF-beta 1 and further demonstrate the reciprocal relationship between these two molecules in the regulation of certain immune functions.

Adjuvants, Immunologic↗

Butyrate effects on growth, morphology, and fibronectin production in PC-3 prostatic carcinoma cells.

Sodium butyrate (NaBT) induces differentiation in several transformed cell lines. The present paper describes the effects of NaBT on some transformation-associated parameters in PC-3, a human prostatic carcinoma cell line. NaBT produces a reversible inhibition of cell proliferation, but anchorage-independent growth is more sensitive than monolayer growth. Soft agarose colonies are reduced by over 50% at 0.1 mM, a concentration that hardly affects growth on solid substrata. Monolayer cells respond to NaBT by spreading and flattening, as demonstrated by a combined light and electron microscopic, morphometric technique. After 4 days' exposure to 2 mM NaBT, the average cell covers an area of substratum that is approximately double that covered by control cells. The average cell volume, however, remains unchanged. This flattening is paralleled by an increase in the number of stress fibers, as seen by fluorescence microscopy. Only minor changes are observed in the microtubule and intermediate filament patterns. While control cells contain very little antifibronectin reactive material, substantial amounts of such material appear upon NaBT treatment. The amount of fibronectin increases up to 100-fold in cells exposed to NaBT. The changes observed correspond to a suppression of properties that are generally associated with the malignant phenotype.

Actin Cytoskeleton↗

Synergistic growth-inhibitory activity of tumour necrosis factor and alpha interferon. Contribution to the monocyte-derived cytostatic activity towards human leukaemia K562 cells.

Monocyte supernatants are cytotoxic towards WEHI 164 clone 13 cells and cytostatic towards K562 cells. The cytotoxic activity towards the clone 13 cells is entirely due to tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF alpha), since it was completely neutralized by recombinant TNF alpha (rTNF) antiserum, and identical dose-response curves were obtained with supernatants and rTNF alpha. The cytostatic activity towards the K562 cells, however, was only partly due to TNF alpha, since this activity was only partly neutralized by the rTNF alpha antiserum. Moreover, the supernatants were found to be more cytostatic towards K562 cells than rTNF alpha preparations that contained comparable amounts of TNF. Alpha interferon (IFN-alpha) also contributed to cytostasis of the K562 cells, since antibodies against IFN-alpha partially inhibited the cytostatic activity in the supernatants, and further inhibition, although not complete, was obtained in the presence of both IFN-alpha antibodies and rTNF alpha antiserum. Moreover, recombinant IFN-alpha-2c (rIFN-alpha-2c) inhibited the growth of K562 cells, acting synergistically with rTNF alpha. Upon cation exchange chromatography, natural TNF in the monocyte supernatants eluted more broadly than rTNF, and significant amounts of TNF alpha were found in all column fractions containing cytostatic activity.

Cell Survival↗

Involvement of tumor necrosis factor in cytotoxicity mediated by human monocytes.

Human monocytes cultured in a specially prepared medium free of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) constitutively produced a small, though significant, amount of tumor necrosis factor (TNF). Upon addition of LPS, the amount produced remained constant until the LPS concentration reached 1-10 ng/ml, whereupon the production of TNF dramatically increased, eventually becoming 100-fold greater than when the LPS concentration was below 1 ng/ml. Priming the monocytes with recombinant interferon-gamma (rIFN-gamma) before LPS exposure resulted in a 2- to 10-fold increase in TNF production, the highest relative increase being obtained at lower LPS concentrations and in the absence of LPS. Monocyte-produced TNF appears to be the effector molecule in monocyte-mediated killing of some target cell types, since antiserum against recombinant TNF inhibited killing of both actinomycin D-treated and untreated WEHI 164 cells by human monocytes. However, it also appears that TNF may not in all cases be an effector molecule in monocyte-mediated killing, since cytolysis of K562 cells mediated by IFN-gamma/LPS-activated monocytes was not inhibited by antiserum against recombinant TNF. Antiserum which was raised against a monocyte-derived cytotoxic factor and which neutralized recombinant TNF did, however, inhibit monocyte-mediated cytolysis of K562 cells, suggesting that an extracellular factor, perhaps related to TNF, was also involved in monocyte-mediated killing of K562 cells. A TNF-like activity was associated with the monocyte surface membrane, since paraformaldehyde-fixed monocytes expressed cytotoxic activity which was neutralized by antiserum against recombinant TNF. Fixed monocytes activated with rIFN-gamma in addition to LPS before fixation were generally more cytotoxic than those exposed to LPS alone, and those exposed to LPS were much more cytotoxic than those not exposed to LPS. Thus it is possible that high local TNF concentrations may be generated near the target cell upon direct contact between effector and target cells, and that also monocyte-associated TNF may in this way be involved in monocyte-mediated cytotoxicity.

Animals↗

Effect of antisera against recombinant tumor necrosis factor and the monocyte-derived cytotoxin(s) on monocyte-mediated killing of various tumor cells.

Antisera raised against recombinant tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and against the monocyte-derived cytotoxic/cytostatic protein factor (CF), which is related to recombinant TNF, have been compared with respect to their ability to inhibit monocyte-mediated killing of various types of cells which differ in their sensitivity to recombinant TNF. During 6 hr of coculturing monocytes and target cells, the recombinant TNF antiserum inhibited killing of the extremely TNF-sensitive WEHI 164 clone 13 cells and actinomycin D-treated WEHI 164 cells from which the clone 13 cells were derived (parental WEHI 164 cells (P-WEHI 164 cells]. The CF antiserum also inhibited monocyte-mediated killing of these cells during 6 hr of coculturing with monocytes, but on a per volume basis it was less potent than the recombinant TNF antiserum, consistent with the fact that the CF antiserum also was much less potent in inhibiting the cytotoxic activity of recombinant TNF. However, during 72 hr of coculturing with monocytes and target cells, the CF antiserum inhibited monocyte-mediated killing of P-WEHI 164 cells more efficiently than the recombinant TNF antiserum. Moreover, during 72 hr of coculturing with monocytes, only the CF antiserum was able to significantly inhibit monocyte-mediated killing of the relatively recombinant TNF-resistant K562 cells. This suggests that a factor immunologically different from recombinant TNF, perhaps a form of natural TNF differing somewhat immunologically from recombinant TNF, was involved in the killing of K562 cells, and possibly in the killing of P-WEHI 164 cells, during 72 hr of coculturing with monocytes. Although this factor was present extracellularly, it appears that it may act as a monocyte-associated factor in monocyte-mediated killing of K562 cells, since exposure to recombinant interferon-gamma (rIFN-gamma) in the absence of Escherichia coli endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide, LPS) activated the monocytes to mediate killing of K562 cells more efficiently than exposure to LPS alone, despite the fact that only little cytotoxic/cytostatic activity was released from the monocytes without the addition of LPS. The ability of rIFN-gamma and LPS to activate monocytes to produce and release CF has also been studied.

Animals↗

Inhibition of cytotoxic T cell development by transforming growth factor beta and reversal by recombinant tumor necrosis factor alpha.

The immunoregulatory effects of transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) and recombinant murine tumor necrosis factor alpha (rMuTNF-alpha) on CTL generation and activity were examined. The results demonstrate that TGF-beta, in a dose-dependent manner, inhibited CTL generation but not CTL activity. The inhibitory effects were detected only when TGF-beta was added within the first 48 h of the MLC. Little activity was seen when it was added thereafter, including the addition of TGF-beta to the cytotoxicity assay. The production of TNF-alpha, which occurs during early phases of the MLC and which is inhibited in the presence of TGF-beta, appears to have an important regulatory role, as altering the levels of TNF-alpha in an MLC can significantly influence CTL development. The inhibitory effects of TGF-beta on the MLC can be significantly reversed by the addition of rMuTNF-alpha to the cultures. These results demonstrate that TGF-beta can inhibit MLC and subsequent CTL generation at early stages of the reaction, and such inhibition may involve the suppression of TNF-alpha production.

Animals↗

Inhibition of cytokine production by cyclosporin A and transforming growth factor beta.

We investigated the ability of cyclosporin A (CsA) and transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) to modulate the production of TNF-alpha and TNF-beta and IFN-gamma by unseparated, nonadherent, and adherent PBMC. Treatment of unseparated PBMC with CsA resulted in a significant dose-dependent inhibition of all three cytokines ranging from greater than 90% inhibition for IFN-gamma and TNF-beta, to approximately 70% for TNF-alpha. Pretreatment of unseparated or nonadherent PBMC with TGF-beta inhibited the production of IFN-gamma by 60-70%. However, the inhibition of TNF-alpha and TNF-beta production by these cells was only minimally affected, and at 0.1-1 ng/ml TGF-beta could enhance TNF-alpha production by unseparated PBMC. In contrast, pretreatment of adherent PBMC with TGF-beta inhibited the production of TNF-alpha by approximately 60%. TGF-beta also inhibited both TNF-alpha production and tumor cell cytotoxicity mediated by murine peritoneal-derived macrophages. These observations indicate that the biological effects of CsA and TGF-beta on immune functions are of a wider range than previously reported.

Animals↗

Comparison of recombinant tumor necrosis factor and the monocyte-derived cytotoxic factor involved in monocyte-mediated cytotoxicity.

A direct comparison of recombinant tumor necrosis factor (rTNF) and the monocyte-derived cytotoxic factor (CF) which is involved in monocyte-mediated cytotoxicity revealed immunological, physiochemical, and biological similarities, indicating that TNF is an effector molecule in monocyte-mediated cytotoxicity. Neutralizing antiserum raised against rTNF completely inhibited the ability of CF-containing monocyte supernatants to induce cytolysis and cell death of sensitive target cells and, conversely, antiserum raised against purified CF completely inhibited the cytotoxic activity of rTNF. Both CF and rTNF have an apparent isoelectric point of 5.8-5.9 as determined by chromatofocusing, and a molecular weight of about 40,000 as determined by gel filtration. Moreover, when present in monocyte supernatants with a total protein concentration of about 1 mg/ml and 0.1% sodium dodecyl sulfate, both CF and rTNF migrated with a molecular weight of about 35,000 upon sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Pure rTNF, however, migrated with a molecular weight of 17,000, suggesting that the relative amount of sodium dodecyl sulfate to protein is critical for dissociating the apparent dimeric structure of TNF. CF and rTNF were also similar with respect to their ability to kill various types of target cells the sensitivity of which to TNF differ, and the dose-response curves of cytotoxicity obtained with CF-containing monocyte supernatants and rTNF were similar. As is the case with anti-CF serum, anti-rTNF serum inhibited drug-dependent cellular cytotoxicity and cytolysis mediated by both freshly isolated monocytes and in vitro cultured unactivated and lymphokine-lipopolysaccharide activated monocytes, indicating that TNF is an effector molecule in both drug-dependent cellular cytotoxicity and "classical" monocyte-mediated cytotoxicity.

Animals↗

Association between tumour necrosis factor in serum and fatal outcome in patients with meningococcal disease.

Serum samples taken on admission from 79 patients with meningococcal meningitis, septicaemia, or both, were examined in a highly sensitive bioassay for tumour necrosis factor (TNF). TNF was detected in samples from 10 of 11 patients who died but from only 8 of 68 survivors. All 5 patients with serum TNF levels over 440 units/ml (corresponding to 0.1 ng/ml recombinant TNF) died.

Adolescent↗