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Biomedical subjects

V Sarma

Publications and source records attributed to V Sarma.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Role of IL-18 in acute lung inflammation.

We have examined the role of IL-18 after acute lung inflammation in rats caused by intrapulmonary deposition of IgG immune complexes. Constitutive IL-18 mRNA and protein expression (precursor form, 26 kDa) were found in normal rat lung, whereas in inflamed lungs, IL-18 mRNA was up-regulated; in bronchoalveolar (BAL) fluids, the 26-kDa protein form of IL-18 was increased at 2-4 h in inflamed lungs and remained elevated at 24 h, and the "mature" protein form of IL-18 (18 kDa) appeared in BAL fluids 1-8 h after onset of inflammation. ELISA studies confirmed induction of IL-18 in inflamed lungs (in lung homogenates and in BAL fluids). Prominent immunostaining for IL-18 was found in alveolar macrophages from inflamed lungs. When rat lung macrophages, fibroblasts, type II cells, and endothelial cells were cultured in vitro with LPS, only the first two produced IL-18. Intratracheal administration of rat recombinant IL-18 in the lung model caused significant increases in lung vascular permeability and in BAL content of neutrophils and in BAL content of TNF-alpha, IL-1beta, and cytokine-induced neutrophil chemoattractant, whereas intratracheal instillation of anti-IL-18 greatly reduced these changes and prevented increases in BAL content of IFN-gamma. Intratracheal administration of the natural antagonist of IL-18, IL-18 binding protein, resulted in suppressed lung vascular permeability and decreased BAL content of neutrophils, cytokines, and chemokines. These findings suggest that endogenous IL-18 functions as a proinflammatory cytokine in this model of acute lung inflammation, serving as an autocrine activator to bring about expression of other inflammatory mediators.

Acute Disease↗

Exposure to perflubron is associated with decreased Syk phosphorylation in human neutrophils.

Liquid ventilation with perflubron is associated with reduced neutrophil recruitment into the lung during acute injury. Perflubron also reduces chemotactic responses, the respiratory burst, and cytokine production in neutrophils and in alveolar macrophages in vitro. In the current studies, the effect of perflubron on neutrophil chemotaxis to formyl-Met-Leu-Phe (fMLP) and phagocytosis of opsonized sheep erythrocytes (EA) correlated with decreased phosphorylation of Syk, an important intracellular second messenger in pathways regulating neutrophil functional responses. Brief (5 min) exposure of neutrophils to perflubron resulted in a dose-dependent reduction in chemotaxis to fMLP and reduced phagocytosis of EA but no apparent morphological changes as seen by electron microscopy. Concurrently, there was a reduction in both total cytosolic tyrosine phosphorylation and Syk phosphorylation. Binding studies indicated that this effect was neither a result of impaired ligand-receptor affinity nor a change in the number of fMLP receptors available on the neutrophil surface. These results suggest that perflubron nonspecifically affects cellular activation as measured by tyrosine phosphorylation perhaps by interfering with transmembrane signal transduction.

Binding Sites↗

Role of CC chemokines (macrophage inflammatory protein-1 beta, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, RANTES) in acute lung injury in rats.

The role of the CC chemokines, macrophage inflammatory protein-1 beta (MIP-1 beta), monocyte chemotactic peptide-1 (MCP-1), and RANTES, in acute lung inflammatory injury induced by intrapulmonary deposition of IgG immune complexes injury in rats was determined. Rat MIP-1 beta, MCP-1, and RANTES were cloned, the proteins were expressed, and neutralizing Abs were developed. mRNA and protein expression for MIP-1 beta and MCP-1 were up-regulated during the inflammatory response, while mRNA and protein expression for RANTES were constitutive and unchanged during the inflammatory response. Treatment of rats with anti-MIP-1 beta Ab significantly decreased vascular permeability by 37% (p = 0.012), reduced neutrophil recruitment into lung by 65% (p = 0.047), and suppressed levels of TNF-alpha in bronchoalveolar lavage fluids by 61% (p = 0.008). Treatment of rats with anti-rat MCP-1 or anti-rat RANTES had no effect on the development of lung injury. In animals pretreated intratracheally with blocking Abs to MCP-1, RANTES, or MIP-1 beta, significant reductions in the bronchoalveolar lavage content of these chemokines occurred, suggesting that these Abs had reached their targets. Conversely, exogenously MIP-1 beta, but not RANTES or MCP-1, caused enhancement of the lung vascular leak. These data indicate that MIP-1 beta, but not MCP-1 or RANTES, plays an important role in intrapulmonary recruitment of neutrophils and development of lung injury in the model employed. The findings suggest that in chemokine-dependent inflammatory responses in lung CC chemokines do not necessarily demonstrate redundant function.

Acute Disease↗

Anti-inflammatory effects of mutant forms of secretory leukocyte protease inhibitor.

The secretory leukocyte protease inhibitor (SLPI) is found in a variety of secreted fluids in mammals and is a known inhibitor of serine proteases. Wild-type (WT) SLPI has recently been shown to block nuclear factor kappaB (NF-kappaB) activation in rat lungs and to interfere with the ensuing inflammatory response and recruitment of neutrophils after an intrapulmonary deposition of IgG immune complexes. In this study, WT SLPI and SLPI mutants with various degrees of protease-inhibitory capacity (for trypsin, chymotrypsin, and elastase) were evaluated for their ability to suppress the lung-vascular leak, neutrophil accumulation, and NF-kappaB activation in the lung inflammatory model. The SLPI mutant with Gly(72) (replacing Leu(72) ) lost its ability to block in vivo activation of NF-kappaB, as well as its ability to suppress the lung vascular leak and neutrophil recruitment. The Phe(72) and Gly(20) mutants were as effective as the WT SLPI in suppressing NF-kappaB activation and neutrophil recruitment. The Lys(72) mutant had the most suppressive effects of the lung vascular leak and for neutrophil recruitment into the lung. The in vivo suppressive effects of SLPI mutants on lung vascular permeability, neutrophil recruitment, and NF-kappaB activation appear to be most closely related to their trypsin-inhibiting activity. These data suggest that the suppressive effects of SLPI on the intrapulmonary activation of NF-kappaB and neutrophil recruitment into the lung may be linked to their antiprotease activity, directed, perhaps, at the intracellular proteases.

Acute Disease↗

Protective effects of anti-C5a in sepsis-induced thymocyte apoptosis.

Multiorgan apoptosis occurs during sepsis. Following cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) in rats, thymocytes underwent apoptosis in a time-dependent manner. C5a blockade dramatically reduced thymocyte apoptosis as measured by thymic weight, binding of annexin V to thymocytes, and laddering of thymocyte DNA. When C5a was generated in vivo by infusion of purified cobra venom factor (CVF), thymocyte apoptosis was significantly increased. Similar results were found when CVF was injected in vivo during the early stages of CLP. In animals 12 hours after induction of CLP, there was an increase in the activities of caspase-3, -6, and -9, but not caspase-1 and -8. Cytosolic cytochrome c levels increased by twofold, whereas mitochondrial levels showed a 50% decrease. Western blot analysis revealed that the content of Bcl-X(L) (but not of Bcl-2, BAX, Bad, and Bim) significantly decreased in thymocytes after CLP. C5a blockade in the sepsis model almost completely inhibited caspase-3, -6, and -9 activation, significantly preserved cytochrome c in the mitochondrial fraction, and restored Bcl-X(L) expression. These data suggest that systemic activation of complement induces C5a-dependent apoptosis of thymocytes and that the blockade of C5a during sepsis rescues thymocytes from apoptosis.

Animals↗

Regulatory effects of endogenous protease inhibitors in acute lung inflammatory injury.

Inflammatory lung injury is probably regulated by the balance between proteases and protease inhibitors together with oxidants and antioxidants, and proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines. Rat tissue inhibitor of metalloprotease-2 (TIMP-2) and secreted leukoprotease inhibitor (SLPI) were cloned, expressed, and shown to be up-regulated at the levels of mRNA and protein during lung inflammation in rats induced by deposition of IgG immune complexes. Using immunoaffinity techniques, endogenous TIMP-2 in the inflamed lung was shown to exist as a complex with 72- and 92-kDa metalloproteinases (MMP-2 and MMP-9). In inflamed lung both TIMP-2 and SLPI appeared to exist as enzyme inhibitor complexes. Lung expression of both TIMP-2 and SLPI appeared to involve endothelial and epithelial cells as well as macrophages. To assess how these endogenous inhibitors might affect the lung inflammatory response, animals were treated with polyclonal rabbit Abs to rat TIMP-2 or SLPI. This intervention resulted in significant intensification of lung injury (as revealed by extravascular leak of albumin) and substantially increased neutrophil accumulation, as determined by cell content in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluids. These events were correlated with increased levels of C5a-related chemotactic activity in BAL fluids, while BAL levels of TNF-alpha and chemokines were not affected by treatment with anti-TIMP-2 or anti-SLPI. The data suggest that endogenous TIMP-2 and SLPI dynamically regulate the intensity of lung inflammatory injury, doing so at least in part by affecting the generation of the inflammatory mediator, C5a.

Acute Disease↗

In vitro and in vivo dependency of chemokine generation on C5a and TNF-alpha.

Under a variety of conditions, alveolar macrophages can generate early response cytokines (TNF-alpha, IL-1), complement components, and chemotactic cytokines (chemokines). In the current studies, we determined the requirements for TNF-alpha and the complement activation product C5a in chemokine production in vitro and in vivo. Two rat CXC chemokines (macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP)-2 and cytokine-induced neutrophil chemoattractant (CINC)) as well as three rat CC chemokines (MIP-1alpha, MIP-1beta, and monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP)-1) were investigated. Chemokine generation in vitro was studied in rat alveolar macrophages stimulated with IgG immune complexes in the absence or presence of Abs to TNF-alpha or C5a. The rat lung injury model induced by IgG immune complex deposition was employed for in vivo studies. Abs to TNF-alpha or C5a were administered intratracheally or i.v., and effects on chemokine levels in bronchoalveolar lavage fluids were quantitated by ELISA. Both in vitro and in vivo studies demonstrated the requirements for TNF-alpha and C5a for full generation of CXC and CC chemokines. In vitro and in vivo blockade of TNF-alpha or C5a resulted in significantly reduced production of chemokines. Supernatant fluids from in vitro-stimulated macrophages revealed by Western blot analysis the presence of C5a/C5adesArg, indicating intrinsic generation of C5a/C5adesArg by alveolar macrophages and explaining the higher efficiency of intratracheal vs i.v. blockade of C5a in reducing chemokine production. These results underscore the central role of both TNF-alpha and C5a, which appear to function as autocrine activators to promote CXC and CC chemokine generation by alveolar macrophages.

Animals↗

Inhibition of NF-kappaB activation and augmentation of IkappaBbeta by secretory leukocyte protease inhibitor during lung inflammation.

In earlier experiments, exogenous administration of secretory leukocyte protease inhibitor (SLPI) suppressed acute lung injury induced by deposition of IgG immune complexes. In the current studies we examined the mechanism of the protective effects of SLPI in this model. The presence of SLPI in the IgG immune complex-model of lung injury reduced the increase in extravascular leakage of 125I-albumin, the intensity of up-regulation of lung vascular intercellular adhesion molecule-1, and the numbers of neutrophils accumulating in the lung. The presence of SLPI caused greatly reduced activation (ie, nuclear translocation) of the transcription nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) in lung cells but did not suppress activation of lung mitogen-activated protein kinase. SLPI did not alter NF-kappaB activation in alveolar macrophages harvested 30 minutes after initiation of lung inflammation. In the presence of SLPI, content of tumor necrosis factor-alpha, CXC chemokines, and C5a in bronchoalveolar fluids was unaffected. In the inflamed lungs, inhibition of NF-kappaB activation by SLPI was associated with elevated levels of lung IkappaBbeta (but not IkappaBalpha) protein in the absence of elevated mRNA for IkappaBbeta. When instilled into normal lung, SLPI also caused similar changes (increases) in lung IkappaBbeta. Finally, in the lung inflammatory model used, the presence of anti-SLPI caused accentuated activation of NF-kappaB. These data confirm the anti-inflammatory effect of SLPI in lung and point to a mechanism of anti-inflammatory effects of SLPI. SLPI appears to function as an endogenous regulator of lung inflammation.

Animals↗

Protective effects of C5a blockade in sepsis.

Sepsis in humans is a difficult condition to treat and is often associated with a high mortality rate. In this study, we induced sepsis in rats using cecal ligation and puncture (CLP). In rats depleted of the complement factor C3, CLP led to very short survival times (about 4 days). Of the rats that underwent CLP ('CLP rats') that were C3-intact and treated with preimmune IgG, most (92%) were dead by 7 days. Blood neutrophils from these rats contained on their surfaces the powerful complement activation product C5a. This group had high levels of bacteremia, and their blood neutrophils when stimulated in vitro had greatly reduced production of H2O2, which is known to be essential for the bactericidal function of neutrophils. In contrast, when companion CLP rats were treated with IgG antibody against C5a, survival rates were significantly improved, levels of bacteremia were considerably reduced, and the H2O2 response of blood neutrophils was preserved. Bacterial colony-forming units in spleen and liver were very high in CLP rats treated with preimmune IgG and very low in CLP rats treated with IgG antibody against C5a, similar to values obtained in rats that underwent 'sham' operations (without CLP). These data indicate that sepsis causes an excessive production of C5a, which compromises the bactericidal function of neutrophils. Thus, C5a may be a useful target for the treatment of sepsis.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Regulatory effects of interleukin-11 during acute lung inflammatory injury.

The role of interleukin-11 (IL-11) was evaluated in the IgG immune complex model of acute lung injury in rats. IL-11 mRNA and protein were both up-regulated during the course of this inflammatory response. Exogenously administered IL-11 substantially reduced, in a dose-dependent manner, the intrapulmonary accumulation of neutrophils and the lung vascular leak of albumin. These in vivo anti-inflammatory effects of IL-11 were associated with reduced NF-kappaB activation in lung, reduced levels of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluids, and diminished up-regulation of lung vascular ICAM-1. It is interesting that IL-11 did not affect BAL fluid content of the CXC chemokines, macrophage inflammatory protein-2 (MIP-2) and cytokine-inducible neutrophil chemoattractant (CINC); the presence of IL-11 did not affect these chemokines. However, BAL content of C5a was reduced by IL-11. These data indicate that IL-11 is a regulatory cytokine in the lung and that, like other members of this family, its anti-inflammatory properties appear to be linked to its suppression of NF-kappaB activation, diminished production of TNF-alpha, and reduced up-regulation of lung vascular ICAM-1.

Animals↗

Blood mononuclear cell production of TNF-alpha and IL-8: engagement of different signal transduction pathways including the p42 MAP kinase pathway.

Recent studies of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) stimulated with IgG subclasses have suggested that tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) and interleukin-8 (IL-8) production proceed along different signal transduction pathways. To investigate this possibility, inhibitors of signal transduction pathways were employed. Human PBMC were pretreated with various inhibitors before being added to IgG2-coated wells and 4-h supernatant fluids evaluated for cytokine content. The effects of various inhibitors on MAP kinase activation were determined. Inhibitors of protein tyrosine kinases, phosphatases, and phospholipase C decreased TNF-alpha and IL-8 production, suggesting that all three enzyme pathways are involved in cytokine generation. Inhibitors of G-proteins had differing effects: pertussis toxin inhibited IL-8 but not TNF-alpha production, whereas cholera toxin inhibited TNF-alpha but not IL-8 production. Pretreatment of PBMC with pertussis toxin resulted in reduced IgG2-induced calcium mobilization, whereas cholera toxin had no effect, correlating with the effects of pertussis toxin on IL-8 expression. Inhibitors of protein kinase C (PKC) completely blocked TNF-alpha generation but had no effect on IL-8 production. Gö6976, which inhibits certain isoforms of PKC, inhibited production of both IL-8 and TNF-alpha. Isoforms of PKC may have opposing effects on cytokine production. PD 98059, a compound that specifically inhibits the activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MEK1), inhibited TNF-alpha production, but had insignificant effects on IL-8 production. Pretreatment of PBMC with either PD 98059 or genistein reduced the extent of phosphorylation of p42 MAP kinase in cells activated on contact with IgG2. These findings suggest distinct signal transduction pathways for cytokine production in PBMC stimulated with IgG2.

Calcium↗

In vivo suppression of NF-kappa B and preservation of I kappa B alpha by interleukin-10 and interleukin-13.

IL-10 and IL-13 have powerful antiinflammatory activities in vitro and in vivo. In the IgG immune complex model of lung injury in rats, exogenously administered IL-10 or IL-13 have recently been shown to suppress neutrophil recruitment and ensuing lung injury by greatly depressing pulmonary production of TNF alpha. Transcriptional control of the TNF alpha gene is regulated by the nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kappa B). Activation of NF-kappa B involves the degradation of its cytoplasmic inhibitor I kappa B alpha, allowing the nuclear translocation of NF-kappa B, with ensuing transcriptional activation. In this study, we sought to determine whether the protective effects of IL-10 and IL-13 in IgG immune complex-induced lung injury were mediated by inhibition of NF-kappa B activation. Electrophoretic mobility shift analysis of nuclear extracts from alveolar macrophages and whole lung tissues demonstrated that both IL-10 and IL-13 suppressed nuclear localization of NF-kappa B after in vivo deposition of IgG immune complexes. Western blot analysis indicated that these effects were due to preserved protein expression of I kappa B alpha in both alveolar macrophages and whole lungs. Northern blot analysis of lung mRNA showed that, in the presence of IgG immune complexes, IL-10 and IL-13 augmented I kappa B alpha mRNA expression. These findings suggest that in vivo, IL-10 and IL-13 may operate by suppressing NF-kappa B activation through preservation of I kappa B alpha.

Animals↗

TRAF2-mediated activation of NF-kappa B by TNF receptor 2 and CD40.

TNF receptor-associated factor (TRAF) proteins are candidate signal transducers that associate with the cytoplasmic domains of members of the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) receptor superfamily. The role of TRAFs in the TNF-R2 and CD40 signal transduction pathways, which result in the activation of transcription factor NF-kappa B, was investigated. Overexpression of TRAF2, but not TRAF1 or TRAF3, was sufficient to induce NF-kappa B activation. A truncated derivative of TRAF2 lacking an amino-terminal RING finger domain was a dominant-negative inhibitor of NF-kappa B activation mediated by TNF-R2 and CD40. Thus, TRAF2 is a common mediator of TNF-R2 and CD40 signaling.

Animals↗

Activation of the B-cell surface receptor CD40 induces A20, a novel zinc finger protein that inhibits apoptosis.

CD40 activation is critical for B-cell function, leading to activation and expression of cell surface markers, proliferation, immunoglobulin class switching and inhibition of programmed cell death (PCD). Germinal center B-cells, for example, can be prevented from undergoing PCD by CD40 activation. The mechanism by which PCD is inhibited has been an enigma. A potential role for A20, a novel zinc finger protein, in inhibiting B-cell apoptosis was suggested by our previous finding that it is induced by the Epstein-Barr virus LMP-1 gene product, a potent cell death inhibitor. We now show that CD40 activation induces A20 and that expression of A20 renders B-cell lines resistant to PCD. Additionally, we show that CD40 activation of A20 expression is mediated by inducible binding of NF-kappa B complexes to the A20 promoter and provide evidence for a critical role for Thr234 (in the CD40 cytoplasmic domain) in activating NF-kappa B.

Antigens, CD↗

Age-dependent injury in human umbilical vein endothelial cells: relationship to apoptosis and correlation with a lack of A20 expression.

BACKGROUND: It has recently been shown that human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) become increasingly sensitive to growth factor deprivation, resulting in cell death, as a function of age in culture. The overall goal of the present study was to investigate the mechanism of lethal injury in these cells and compare the injury process to other known mechanisms of injury in the same cells. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: HUVEC were established in culture and maintained for four passages. Injury to first-passage cells and fourth-passage cells were examined for injury in the presence of agents that are known to confer resistance to apoptosis. Ultrastructural features of injury and DNA fragmentation patterns were assessed. Expression of factors that are known to be associated with resistance to apoptosis in other models were assessed. RESULTS: Fourth-passage HUVEC undergoing injury exhibited morphologic features characteristic of apoptosis and DNA fragmentation. Agents known to inhibit apoptotic cell injury in other models inhibited injury. A20 expression was correlated with resistance to injury in fourth-passage HUVEC, but there was no correlation between bcl-2 and bcl-x expression and resistance to injury. CONCLUSIONS: HUVEC injury resulting from growth factor deprivation increases as a function of age in vitro and appears to be a form of apoptosis. A20 expression may confer resistance to cell injury through this pathway.

Apoptosis↗

B94, a primary response gene inducible by tumor necrosis factor-alpha, is expressed in developing hematopoietic tissues and the sperm acrosome.

B94 was originally described as a novel tumor necrosis factor-alpha-inducible primary response gene in endothelial cells which was also induced in an in vitro model of angiogenesis. To further characterize its expression, we cloned the mouse homologue and mapped its developmental and tissue specific expression. The predicted amino acid sequence of mouse B94 was found to be 83% similar to its human homologue. The gene was localized to mouse chromosome 12 just centromeric to the immunoglobulin heavy chain locus, in a region that is often rearranged in T-cell neoplasms. To explore the possibility that B94 is expressed during vasculogenesis and other developmental processes, the expression of its transcript was determined during mouse development by in situ hybridization. In 10-day embryos B94 was expressed prominently in the myocardium and in the aortic arch. By the 15th day of gestation, expression was restricted largely to the liver, the bone forming regions of the jaw, the aortic endothelium, and the nasopharynx: a pattern that was maintained until just prior to birth. Postnatally, expression shifted to the red pulp of the spleen and the thymic medulla. B94 expression was extinguished in most adult tissues but was detectable in lymphopoietic tissues including the spleen, tonsil, and lymphatic aggregates in the gut. Consistent with this was the finding that mononuclear progenitor cells in bone marrow and mature peripheral blood monocytes expressed B94. A truncated testis-specific transcript previously identified by Northern blot analysis was determined to result from the use of an alternate polyadenylation signal which was surprisingly located within the open reading frame. This shorter transcript was expressed at high levels exclusively in late stage spermatids. Immunostaining with an affinity-purified polyclonal antiserum revealed B94 to be localized to the acrosomal compartment of mature sperm. These studies demonstrate that B94 expression is tightly regulated during development and suggests distinct roles for B94 in myelopoiesis and spermatogenesis.

Acrosome↗

Cloning of a novel tumor necrosis factor-alpha-inducible primary response gene that is differentially expressed in development and capillary tube-like formation in vitro.

TNF is a proinflammatory cytokine that has pleiotropic effects on cells and tissues, mediated in large part by alterations in target tissue gene expression. We have used the technique of differential hybridization to identify several primary response genes induced by TNF in human umbilical vein endothelial (HUVE) cells, a cell type that is profoundly activated by cytokine treatment. One of these cDNA, designated B94, detects a rapidly and transiently induced 4-kb transcript in TNF-treated HUVE cells, and this transcript is superinduced in the concomitant presence of cycloheximide. Other proinflammatory stimuli including IL-1 beta and LPS are also able to induce B94 mRNA expression. Nuclear run-on experiments demonstrate that TNF induction of B94 transcript occurs primarily at the level of transcriptional activation. Further, B94 is shown to be a single copy gene that is evolutionarily conserved. The gene is localized to the q32 region of chromosome 14, a region that is often rearranged in lymphoid neoplasms. B94 transcript expression is also found to be regulated during mouse development and in an in vitro model of endothelial capillary tube formation. Developmental regulation occurs most prominently in mouse embryonic liver and kidney, and a second smaller form of B94 transcript is detected in the placenta and testes. B94 and other TNF-responsive transcripts are also induced during capillary tube formation suggesting overlap between genes induced by TNF and those induced during angiogenesis. Sequence analysis of the B94 cDNA reveals an open reading frame encoding a 73-kDa polypeptide that has no homology to any known protein. Polyclonal antisera directed against the carboxyl-terminal portion of the B94 protein immunoprecipitates a protein of the predicted molecular mass both from COS cells transfected with a B94 expression vector and from TNF-treated HUVE cells.

Amino Acid Sequence↗