Mechanisms of suppression of macrophage nitric oxide release by transforming growth factor beta

Tyrosine kinases are involved with the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase in human articular chondrocytes

The present study characterizes mechanisms involved with the induction of nitric oxide (NO) production, nitric oxide synthase (NOS) enzymatic activity and mRNA expression in human articular chondrocytes. Activation of chondrocytes with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or IL-1 resulted in time- and dose-dependent increases in iNOS mRNA followed by increased NOS enzymatic activity and NO release. The protein tyrosine kinase (PTK) inhibitors herbimycin A or genistein reduced IL-1 or LPS-induced NO release and NOS enzymatic activity. This was associated with inhibition of iNOS mRNA expression as determined by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and in situ hybridization. In contrast, inhibitors of protein kinase C (PKC) or protein kinase A (PKA) did not affect these responses. These results were confirmed in experiments with second messenger agonists where neither activation of PKC, nor increases in cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) or increased intracellular calcium levels were associated with the induction of iNOS mRNA or NO release. These results suggest that PKC, PKA and calcium-dependent signals are not required or sufficient for the stimulation of NO production. However, NO production is dependent on tyrosine kinases due to their role in the expression of iNOS mRNA.

Ethanol potentiates interleukin-1 beta-stimulated inducible nitric oxide synthase expression in cultured vascular smooth muscle cells

Experiments were performed to examine the effect of ethanol on the production of nitric oxide from interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta)-treated cultured rat aortic smooth muscle cells. Incubation of vascular smooth muscle cells with IL-1 beta resulted in the release of nitrite and in the intracellular accumulation of L-citrulline. In parallel with this, IL-1 beta increased inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) mRNA and protein. Ethanol (6.5-650 mM) potentiated the IL-1 beta-mediated stimulation of iNOS mRNA production, the appearance of iNOS protein and the generation of nitrite and L-citrulline from smooth muscle cells in a concentration-dependent manner. In the absence of IL-1 beta, ethanol failed to induce iNOS expression. These results demonstrate that pharmacologically relevant concentrations of ethanol enhance the IL-1 beta-induced expression of the iNOS gene in vascular smooth muscle. The ability of ethanol to augment the release of the platelet inhibitor and vasodilator nitric oxide may, in part, contribute to the beneficial cardiovascular effects associated with moderate alcohol consumption.

Down-regulation of transforming growth factor-beta gene expression by antisense oligodeoxynucleotides increases recombinant interferon-gamma-induced nitric oxide synthesis in murine peritoneal macrophages

Increasing evidence indicates that the production of nitric oxide (NO) by inducible NO synthase (iNOS) is tightly regulated. Transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) is a family of multifunctional peptides secreted during macrophage activation, but several lines of evidence suggest that TGF-beta is selectively suppressive for macrophage NO production. We therefore reasoned that a strategy employing oligodeoxynucleotides (ODN) complementary to TGF-beta mRNA (antisense ODN) might increase NO production in interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) treated murine peritoneal macrophages. To evaluate this concept, we tested the effects of antisense ODN targeted to TGF-beta mRNA (25-mer ODN complementary to TGF-beta mRNA sequences) by introducing them into the medium of cultured macrophages. Phosphorothioation of ODN was employed to retard their degradation. Antisense ODN had no effect on NO production by itself, whereas IFN-gamma alone had a modest effect. When antisense ODN were used in combination with IFN-gamma, there was a marked cooperative induction of NO production. These effects of antisense ODN were associated with decreased TGF-beta expression in activated macrophages. However, sense ODN had no effect. Adding anti-TGF-beta antibodies to the IFN-gamma-treated macrophages mimicked the positive effect of antisense ODN on NO production. In addition, the effects of either antisense ODN or anti-TGF-beta antibodies were blocked by adding exogenous TGF-beta in cultured macrophages. These results indicate that the generation of TGF-beta by activated macrophages provides a self-regulating mechanism by which the temporal and perhaps spatial production of NO, a reactive and potentially toxic mediator, can be finely regulated.

2,4-Diamino-6-hydroxypyrimidine, an inhibitor of tetrahydrobiopterin synthesis, downregulates the expression of iNOS protein and mRNA in primary murine macrophages

2,4-diamino-6-hydroxy-pyrimidine (DAHP), an inhibitor of GTP cyclohydrolase I, blocks the synthesis of tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4), which is a known cofactor of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS). Previously, DAHP was shown to suppress the production of nitric oxide by cytokine-activated fibroblasts, smooth muscle cells or endothelial cells which could be attributed to its function as a cofactor antagonist. Here, we demonstrate that in interferon-gamma-activated murine peritoneal macrophages DAHP suppresses the expression of iNOS mRNA and protein in a BH4-independent manner and, thus, acts by a novel mechanism.

Nitric oxide. Novel biology with clinical relevance

OBJECTIVE

The author provides the reader with a view of the regulation and function of nitric oxide (NO), based on the three distinct enzyme isoforms that synthesize NO.

SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA

Nitric oxide is a short-lived molecule exhibiting functions as diverse as neurotransmission and microbial killing. Recent advances in the characterization of the enzymes responsible for NO synthesis and in the understanding of how NO interacts with targets have led to new insights into the many facets of this diverse molecule.

METHODS

Nitric oxide is produced by one of three enzyme isoforms of NO synthesis. These enzymes vary considerably in their distribution, regulation, and function. Accordingly, the NO synthesis or lack of NO production will have consequences unique to that isoform. Therefore, this review summarizes the regulation and function of NO generated by each of the three isoforms.

RESULTS

Nitric oxide exhibits many unique characteristics that allow this molecule to perform so many functions. The amount, duration, and location of the NO synthesis will depend on the isoform of NO synthase expressed. For each isoform, there probably are disease processes in which deficiency states exist. For induced NO synthesis, states of overexpression exist.

CONCLUSIONS

Understanding the regulation and function of the enzymes that produce NO and the unique characteristics of each enzyme isoform is likely to lead to therapeutic approaches to prevent or treat a number of diseases.

The lethal effects of cytokine-induced nitric oxide on cardiac myocytes are blocked by nitric oxide synthase antagonism or transforming growth factor beta

Inducible nitric oxide (NO) produced by macrophages is cytotoxic to invading organisms and has an important role in host defense. Recent studies have demonstrated inducible NO production within the heart, and that cytokine-induced NO mediates alterations in cardiac contractility, but the cytotoxic potential of nitric oxide with respect to the heart has not been defined. To evaluate the role of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) on cardiac myocyte cytotoxicity, we exposed adult rat cardiac myocytes to either cytokines alone or to activated J774 macrophages in coculture. Increased expression of both iNOS message and protein was seen in J774 macrophages treated with IFN gamma and LPS and cardiac myocytes treated with TNF-alpha, IL-1 beta, and IFN gamma. Increased NO synthesis was confirmed in both the coculture and isolated myocyte preparations by increased nitrite production. Increased NO synthesis was associated with a parallel increase in myocyte death as measured by CPK release into the culture medium as well as by loss of membrane integrity, visualized by trypan blue staining. Addition of the competitive NO synthase inhibitor L-NMMA to the culture medium prevented both the increased nitrite production and the cytotoxicity observed after cytokine treatment in both the isolated myocyte and the coculture experiments. Because transforming growth-factor beta modulates iNOS expression in other cell types, we evaluated its effects on cardiac myocyte iNOS expression and NO-mediated myocyte cytotoxicity. TGF-beta reduced expression of cardiac myocyte iNOS message and protein, reduced nitrite production, and reduced NO-mediated cytotoxicity in parallel. Taken together, these experiments show the cytotoxic potential of endogenous NO production within the heart, and suggest a role for TGF-beta or NO synthase antagonists to mute these lethal effects. These findings may help explain the cardiac response to sepsis or allograft rejection, as well as the progression of dilated cardiomyopathies of diverse etiologies.

Nitric oxide synthases: gene structure and regulation

The NOSs are a family of complex enzymes that catalyze the five-electron oxidation of L-arginine to form NO and L-citrulline. They are best characterized as cytochrome P-450-like hemeproteins that depend on molecular oxygen, NADPH, flavins, and tetrahydrobiopterin. The three human NOS isoforms identified to date, ecNOS, nNOS, and iNOS, are found on human chromosomes 7, 12, and 17, respectively. Regulation of NO synthesis and release occurs at the levels of enzyme activity and mRNA synthesis. The nNOS mRNA is structurally diverse as a consequence of alternative promoters and alternate splicing. The iNOS gene is predominantly regulated at the level of transcription by synergistic combinations of proinflammatory cytokines and bacterial wall products. Changes in mRNA levels of the ecNOS following endothelium activation are mediated by altered rates of transcription as well as by the intriguing process of changes in mRNA stability. Given the essential role of the NO pathway in a wide variety of physiological and pathophysiological process, it is possible that the three isoforms of NOS contribute to polygenic genetic diversity in neurological, immune, and cardiovascular biology. Further studies are needed to determine the mechanisms of gene regulation of NOS in health and disease.

Regulation and function of inducible nitric oxide synthase during sepsis and acute inflammation

During sepsis and inflammation profound changes in physiological function are induced by a variety of mediators, including endotoxin, various cytokines, and NO. Many of these mediators, in addition to their other functions, induce the synthesis of NO through the induction of iNOS within a variety of cell types. The regulation of iNOS expression is quite complex. Of interest is the fact that the functions of NO during sepsis range from modulating perfusion to mediating cytotoxicity. In addition, it is unique that many tissues not characterized as being involved in immune function express iNOS in a manner similar to that of tissues involved in immune function. The role of NO during episodes of acute inflammation appears to be a protective one; however, there are examples of chronic localized inflammation in both animal and human models which suggest that chronic iNOS expression may be detrimental. Further investigations into the regulation and function of NO in both the acute and chronic settings are necessary in order to fully understand this small yet unique molecule.

Transforming growth factor-beta and interleukin-10, but not interleukin-4, down-regulate procoagulant activity and tissue factor expression in human monocyte-derived macrophages

The effect of IL-4, IL-10, and TGF-beta on expression of procoagulant activity (PCA) and of surface-associated tissue factor (TF) by human monocyte-derived macrophages was determined. Monocytes were allowed to mature to macrophages in teflon bags, and were primed either in suspension cultures, or after subculturing in microtiter plates. PCA was determined in PBS-stimulated cells (constitutive PCA) or after stimulation with LPS for 6 hr. TGF-beta significantly reduced constitutive and LPS-induced PCA. This effect was associated with a reduction in surface-expressed TF, but was not correlated with TNF-alpha production in LPS-stimulated cells. The TGF-beta effect was seen both in suspension cultures and in adherent cultures. IL-10 strongly down-regulated LPS-induced PCA, an effect closely correlated with TNF production. It had a weaker, albeit significant effect on constitutive PCA, when tested on suspended cells, and PCA down-regulation was associated with reduction in TF surface expression. IL-4 reduced neither constitutive nor induced PCA in macrophages, and had little effect on TF surface expression, although it strongly down-regulated CD14 expression. Also in monocytes, IL-4 influenced TF expression to a lesser degree than IL-10 and TGF-beta. In the monocytoid cell line, THP-1, PCA/TF was down-regulated preferentially by TGF-beta. Our findings point to a complex cytokine-mediated regulation of PCA at the level of TF expression and possibly at additional levels.

Effects of the cytokine synthesis inhibitor CGP 47969A on nitric oxide production by lipopolysaccharide-stimulated J774A.1 macrophages

CGP 47969A is a novel inhibitor of the biosynthesis of interleukin-1 and other cytokines, being developed as an anti-arthritic. The effect of the compound on lipopolysaccharide (LPS; 1 microgram/ml) stimulated nitric oxide (NO) production by the mouse macrophage cell line, J774A.1, was examined in the present study. CGP 47969A inhibited NO production in a concentration-dependent fashion (0.1-10 microM; IC50 = 2 microM) in a 24 h assay. Dexamethasone (Dex), which inhibits cytokine and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) gene transcription, and N-methyl arginine (NMA), a substrate analogue inhibitor of NOS activity, also inhibited NO production in this assay system with IC50 values of approximately 5 nM and 100 microM, respectively. When iNOS expression was induced by LPS for 24 h, CGP 47969A and Dex did not inhibit NO production, whereas NMA retained activity (IC50 = 40 microM). In time course experiments, CGP 47969A (10 microM) or Dex (1 microM) were added to J774A.1 cultures at t = 0, 1, 3 or 6 h after LPS. Dex inhibited NO production by 86%, 57%, 35% and 15% at these time points, while CGP 47969A inhibited by 90%, 91%, 89% and 76%. Taken together, the results indicate that CGP 47969A inhibits NO production by an effect similar to the inhibitory effect on cytokine production rather than by inhibition of iNOS enzyme activity per se or iNOS gene expression. The ability of CGP 47969A to inhibit cytokine and NO production may explain its efficacy in animal models of arthritis.

Improvement of macrophage dysfunction by administration of anti-transforming growth factor-beta antibody in EL4-bearing hosts

An experimental therapy for improvement of macrophage dysfunction caused by transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) was tried in EL4 tumor-bearing mice. TGF-beta was detected in cell-free ascitic fluid from EL4-bearers, but not in that from normal mice, by western blot analysis. The ascites also showed growth-suppressive activity against Mv1Lu cells, and the suppressive activity was potentiated by transient acidification. To investigate whether the functions of peritoneal macrophages were suppressed in EL4-bearers, the abilities to produce nitric oxide and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) upon lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation were measured. Both abilities of macrophages in EL4-bearing mice were suppressed remarkably on day 9, and decreased further by day 14, compared with non-tumor-bearing controls. TGF-beta activity was abrogated by administration of anti-TGF-beta antibody to EL4-bearing mice. While a large amount of TGF-beta was detected in ascitic fluid from control EL4-bearers, little TGF-beta was detectable in ascites from EL4-bearers given anti-TGF-beta antibody. Furthermore, while control macrophages exhibited little or no production of nitric oxide and TNF-alpha on LPS stimulation in vitro, macrophages from EL4-bearers administered with anti-TGF-beta antibody showed the same ability as normal macrophages. These results clearly indicate that TGF-beta contributes to macrophage dysfunction and that the administration of specific antibody for TGF-beta reverses macrophage dysfunction in EL4-bearing hosts.

Transforming growth factor beta 1 and gamma interferon provide opposing signals to lipopolysaccharide-activated mouse macrophages

Bacterial lipopolysaccharides (LPS) are potent inducers of macrophage activation, leading to the production of a number of proinflammatory mediators. Although several cytokines that prime macrophages for enhanced LPS-triggered responses have been identified, far less is known regarding the role that cytokines play in down-regulating macrophage responses to LPS. This study was designed to determine the effects of recombinant transforming growth factor beta 1 (rTGF-beta 1) on macrophage activation by LPS. Pretreatment of either mouse peritoneal macrophages or cells of the RAW 264.7 macrophage-like cell line with rTGF-beta 1 inhibited their ability to produce both tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) and nitric oxide (NO) in response to LPS. These inhibitory effects were reversed by increasing the concentration of LPS or by priming cells with optimal concentrations of recombinant gamma interferon (rIFN-gamma). Pretreatment of cells with rTGF-beta 1 had only a modest inhibitory effect on the expression of TNF-alpha mRNA. By contrast, the expression of mRNA for the inducible form of nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), which is responsible for NO production in activated macrophages, was significantly inhibited by rTGF-beta 1 pretreatment. Thus, rTGF-beta 1-dependent suppression of macrophage TNF-alpha biosynthesis was manifest at a posttranscriptional level, whereas the inhibition of NO production correlated with a direct effect on iNOS gene expression. Importantly, both of these suppressive effects of rTGF-beta 1 were reversed by exposing the cells to priming concentrations of rIFN-gamma. As with NO production, immunocytochemical analysis of iNOS expression in LPS-stimulated macrophages revealed that rIFN-gamma and rTGF-beta 1 had antagonistic effects, with the former increasing, and the latter reducing, the number of iNOS-expressing cells induced by LPS. These data suggest that a balance between the priming effects of IFN-gamma and the inhibitory effects of TGF-beta 1 can determine the overall level of macrophage activation induced by LPS.

Role of interferon regulatory factor 1 in induction of nitric oxide synthase

Interferon gamma (IFN-gamma) interacts synergistically with bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to induce transcription of iNOS, the isoform of nitric oxide synthase whose activity is independent of elevated Ca2+ and exogenous calmodulin. To define a cis-acting element mediating IFN-gamma-dependent synergy, we made deletions in iNOS promoter constructs fused to reporter genes, transfected RAW 264.7 macrophages, and treated the cells with IFN-gamma and/or LPS. This analysis implicated the region from positions -951 to -911, a cluster of four enhancer elements known to bind IFN-gamma-responsive transcription factors, including an interferon regulatory factor binding site (IRF-E) at nucleotides -913 to -923. Site-specific substitution of two conserved nucleotides within IRF-E in the context of the full-length iNOS promoter ablated IFN-gamma's contribution to synergistic enhancement of transcription. Electromobility shift assays performed with a probe containing IRF-E revealed the existence of a complex in nuclei of RAW 264.7 macrophages that was present only after treatment with IFN-gamma, which reacted specifically with anti-IRF-1 immunoglobulin G and which included a species migrating at 40-45 kD, consistent with the apparent molecular weight of murine IRF-1. Thus, the synergistic contribution of IFN-gamma to transcription of iNOS in RAW 264.7 macrophages requires that IRF-1 bind to IRF-E in the iNOS promoter. In conjunction with the work of Kamijo et al. (Kamijo, R., H. Harada, T. Matsuyama, M. Bosland, J. Gerecitano, D. Shapiro, J. Le, K. S. Im, T. Kimura, S. Green et al. 1994. Science [Wash. DC]. 263:1612), these findings identify iNOS as the first gene that requires IRF-1 for IFN-gamma-dependent transcriptional regulation.

Tissue expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase is closely associated with resistance to Leishmania major

Previous studies with inhibitors of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) suggested that high-output production of nitric oxide (NO) is an important antimicrobial effector pathway in vitro and in vivo. Here, we investigated the tissue expression of iNOS in mice after infection with Leishmania major. Immunohistochemical staining with an iNOS-specific antiserum revealed that in the cutaneous lesion and draining lymph nodes (LN) of clinically resistant mice (C57BL/6), iNOS protein is found earlier during infection and in significantly higher amounts than in the nonhealing BALB/c strain. Similar differences were seen on the mRNA level as quantitated by competitive polymerase chain reaction. Anti-CD4 treatment of BALB/c mice not only induced resistance to disease, but also restored the expression of iNOS in the tissue. In situ, few or no parasites were found in those regions of the skin lesion and the draining LN which were highly positive for iNOS. By double labeling experiments, macrophages were identified as iNOS expressing cells in vivo. In the lesions of BALB/c mice, cells staining positively for transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta), a potent inhibitor of iNOS in vitro, were strikingly more prominent than in C57BL/6, whereas no such difference was found for interleukin 4 or interferon gamma (IFN-gamma). In vitro, production of NO was approximately threefold higher in C57BL/6 than in BALB/c macrophages after stimulation with IFN-gamma. We conclude that the pronounced expression of iNOS in resistant mice is an important mechanism for the elimination of Leishmania in vivo. The relative lack of iNOS in susceptible mice might be a consequence of macrophage deactivation by TGF-beta and reduced responsiveness to IFN-gamma.

Expression of the gene for inducible nitric oxide synthase in experimental glomerulonephritis in the rat

Nitrite, a stable product of nitric oxide (NO), is synthesized in vitro by glomeruli in experimental glomerulonephritis. We have now studied the expression of the gene for inducible NO synthase (iNOS) in accelerated nephrotoxic nephritis (NTN). The purpose of the study was to confirm in vivo induction of iNOS in this model of immune complex disease, and to relate the onset of induction and the level of expression to pathogenic events in the model. Glomeruli from rats with NTN were isolated at 6 h, 24 h and 2, 4 and 7 days and total RNA extracted. RNA (10 micrograms) was reverse transcribed and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed with primers homologous to rat vascular smooth muscle iNOS and rat beta actin. A 222-base PCR product corresponding to iNOS mRNA was present in all experimental animals. iNOS expression was also found in activated macrophages, neutrophils and IL-1-stimulated but not unstimulated mesangial cells. Quantitative competitive PCR was carried out on glomerular samples using a 514-bp mutant of a 735-bp PCR product. iNOS expression was present at low levels in normal glomeruli and was markedly enhanced at 6 h after the induction of glomerulonephritis and peaked at 24 h. Increased iNOS expression persisted to day 7. beta actin mRNA levels were similar in all glomerular specimens. This study demonstrates that there is in vivo induction of iNOS in immune complex glomerulonephritis, corresponding to the generation of nitrite we have previously reported. iNOS gene expression is detectable within 6 h of induction of NTN, indicating the onset of gene transcription is closely related to the initial formation of immune complexes.

Transforming growth factor beta 1 inhibits interleukin-1-induced but enhances ionomycin-induced interferon-gamma production in a T cell lymphoma: comparison with the effects of rapamycin

Transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-beta 1) is a multifunctional cytokine whose potent immunomodulatory activity is well documented. To explore the mechanisms of this activity we examined the effect of TGF-beta 1 on the production of IFN-gamma measured at the mRNA and protein levels in the YAC-1 T cell lymphoma. In previous studies, this model proved useful to characterize the mode of action of the immunosuppressant rapamycin (RAP). Here, we found that when induced by IL-1 or IL-1 + PMA, the production of IFN-gamma is suppressed by both TGF-beta 1 (ED50 = 1.9 pM) and RAP (ED50 = 0.2 nM). In contrast, when induced by the calcium ionophore ionomycin, in the absence or in the presence of PMA, this production is enhanced up to 10-fold by TGF-beta 1 (ED50 = 1.8 pM) and 1.5-3-fold by RAP. Therefore, in YAC-1 cells, TGF-beta 1 exerts opposite effects on IFN-gamma production depending on the mode of activation, and these effects parallel those of RAP. To further analyze the mode of action of TGF-beta 1 in this system, we used okadaic acid (OA), an inhibitor of serine/threonine protein phosphatases. Treatment with OA rendered the expression of IFN-gamma mRNA induced by IL-1 insensitive to TGF-beta 1 or RAP, indicating that activation of a phosphatase may play a role in the suppressive effect of both agents. However, OA did not prevent the augmentation of ionomycin-mediated induction of IFN-gamma mRNA by either TGF-beta 1 or RAP. Hence, the up-regulation of IFN-gamma production by TGF-beta 1 and RAP may involve a different biochemical mechanism than that mediating their suppressive action. These observations also favor the hypothesis that the two agents act on the same regulatory pathways. This was further supported by the finding that TGF-beta 1 and RAP modulate IFN-gamma production in an additive rather than synergistic fashion. However, their effects could be dissociated in mutants of YAC-1 cells selected for resistance to the inhibition of IL-1-mediated IFN-gamma induction by RAP. Moreover, the IFN-gamma modulatory action of RAP in YAC-1 cells was accompanied by an antiproliferative effect, whereas TGF-beta 1 failed to alter the growth of these cells. Therefore, the immunomodulatory action of TGF-beta 1 may result from the disruption of biochemical processes related to, although distinct from, those affected by RAP.

NO as an effector molecule of parasite killing: modulation of its synthesis by cytokines

It has recently been appreciated that NO, a molecule previously known to play a physiologic role in blood pressure regulation, is a major effector molecule of macrophage cytotoxicity against a variety of microbial targets, including protozoan and helminth parasites. NO production by macrophages is arginine dependent and catalyzed by a cytokine-inducible form of the NO synthase. This activity is positively controlled by several up-regulatory stimuli (including IFN-gamma, TNF-alpha, IL-2) and negatively controlled by others (principally IL-10, IL-4, TGF-beta). Other cell types, such as endothelial cells and hepatocytes, display a similar capacity for NO production in response to cytokine stimulation. In murine models of leishmaniasis and schistosomiasis, in vivo NO synthesis correlates with protective immunity against infection. The effector molecule that plays a similar role in cell-mediated immunity in man has not yet been identified.

Involvement of nitric oxide synthase in antiproliferative activity of macrophages: induction of the enzyme requires two different kinds of signal acting synergistically

Activated rodent macrophages inhibit micro-organism and tumour cell growth through a high output of nitric oxide; generated by an isoform of nitric oxide synthase which is induced, for example, in murine macrophages, by concomitant stimulation with interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS). We show here that LPS could be replaced as a co-stimulant by the mycobacterial derivative muramyl dipeptide (MDP) in macrophages, and by interleukin-1 (IL-1) in EMT-6 adenocarcinoma cells. Moreover, our results indicate that nitric oxide synthase RNA synthesis required either simultaneous or sequential exposure to IFN-gamma and MDP/IL-1; whereas exposure to MDP/IL-1 followed by exposure to IFN-gamma was ineffective. Thus, two kinds of signal could be distinguished: IFN-gamma on the one hand, acting first in an irreversible way, and LPS, MDP, IL-1 on the other hand, which seemed to be permanently required for continuous transcription of the nitric oxide synthase gene.

Requirement for transcription factor IRF-1 in NO synthase induction in macrophages

Production of nitric oxide (NO) by macrophages is important for the killing of intracellular infectious agents. Interferon (IFN)-gamma and lipopolysaccharide stimulate NO production by transcriptionally up-regulating the inducible NO synthase (iNOS). Macrophages from mice with a targeted disruption of the IFN regulatory factor-1 (IRF-1) gene (IRF-1-/- mice) produced little or no NO and synthesized barely detectable iNOS messenger RNA in response to stimulation. Two adjacent IRF-1 response elements were identified in the iNOS promoter. Infection with Mycobacterium bovis (BCG) was more severe in IRF-1-/- mice than in wild-type mice. Thus, IRF-1 is essential for iNOS activation in murine macrophages.

Assembly and regulation of NADPH oxidase and nitric oxide synthase

Research over the past year has revealed several interesting advances in the biosynthesis of the superoxide anion and nitric oxide. Highlights include the demonstration that the G protein Rac 2 is required for NADPH oxidase activation, the finding that nitric oxide is a feedback inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase isoforms, and the discovery that the continuous catalytic activity of the immune/inflammatory nitric oxide synthase is due to strong calmodulin binding, which is independent of elevated calcium levels. Interferon-gamma primes neutrophils and macrophages for both O2- and nitric oxide synthesis. However, NADPH oxidase and immune/inflammatory nitric oxide synthase are differentially regulated such that their activities are not simultaneously induced.

Inducible nitric-oxide-synthase mRNA is transiently expressed and destroyed by a cycloheximide-sensitive process

Nitric oxide is a mediator of a wide range of physiological processes. It is produced by an enzyme family, the nitric-oxide synthases, one form of which is induced in many cells following stimulation with cytokines and lipopolysaccharide. The aim of the experiments reported in this study was to investigate the regulation of mRNA expression for this inducible nitric-oxide synthase in smooth muscle cells and macrophages. Stimulation of these cells with cytokines and lipopolysaccharide results in a marked elevation of nitric-oxide-synthase mRNA levels, which however do not remain elevated, but reach a maximum at 3-6 h after stimulation before returning to baseline levels over the next 20 h. Enzyme activity, however, remained virtually constant for 48 h following stimulation. Inspection of the 3' untranslated segment of both murine and human inducible nitric-oxide-synthase mRNAs showed the presence of a conserved AU-rich octanucleotide sequence, previously identified in cytokine and oncogene mRNAs and shown to mediate mRNA instability. A particular feature of the breakdown of mRNAs bearing this sequence is that degradation is prevented by protein-synthesis inhibition. We show in this study that the half-life of inducible nitric-oxide-synthase mRNA is 6 h and that in the presence of an inhibitor of protein synthesis this breakdown is prevented. Thus, the mRNA for inducible nitric-oxide synthase shares some features in common with cytokines such as the transient expression and decay of its mRNA which can be prevented by protein-synthesis inhibition.

Control of nitric oxide synthase expression by transforming growth factor-beta: implications for homeostasis

Production of nitric oxide (NO) can be stimulated by inflammatory cytokines and bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in mammalian cells via an inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS). Conversely, the transforming growth factor-beta s (TGF-beta s) suppress NO production by reducing iNOS expression. Production of NO leads to disparate consequences, some beneficial and some damaging to the host, depending on the cell and context in which iNOS is induced. The TGF-beta s counter these NO-mediated processes in macrophages, cardiac myocytes, smooth muscle cells, bone marrow cells, and retinal pigment epithelial cells. Autocrine or paracrine production of TGF-beta may thus serve as a physiological counterbalance for iNOS expression, a mechanism which may be subverted by pathogens and tumors for their own survival. A greater understanding of the mechanisms and consequences of NO and TGF-beta production may lead to effective therapeutic strategies in various diseases.

Cytokines in leishmaniasis: a complex network of stimulatory and inhibitory interactions

The work of immunologists, cell biologists and parasitologists in the field of leishmaniasis has not only provided important insights into the immunopathogenesis of this disease, but also yielded fundamental contributions to our understanding of basic immunological phenomena and of host-parasite interactions. The ability of recombinant interferon-gamma to induce the microbicidal activity of phagocytes and the opposite effect of inhibitory cytokines was first demonstrated with Leishmania-infected macrophages. The selective development of protective and disease-mediating CD4+ T lymphocytes as well as their differential influence on the course of the disease has been long investigated in the murine Leishmania major model and now represents one of the best examples for the in vivo induction of type 1 versus type 2 T helper lymphocytes. At the same time, this model has also been extensively used for immunization studies and cytokine therapy, which shed light on the functions of cytokines in vivo as well as on the mechanism(s) of disease resistance and susceptibility. In this review we will discuss the present picture of the cytokine network in murine L. major infections.