Activation of phospholipase D is tightly coupled to the phagocytosis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis or opsonized zymosan by human macrophages

Effects of intratracheal instillation of TNF-alpha on surfactant metabolism

Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) has been shown to play an integral role in the pathogenesis of the acute respiratory distress syndrome. This disorder is characterized by a deficiency of alveolar surfactant, a surface-active material that is composed of key hydrophobic proteins and the major lipid disaturated phosphatidylcholine (DSPC). We investigated how TNF-alpha might alter DSPC content in rat lungs by instilling the cytokine (2.5 microg) intratracheally for 10 min and then assaying parameters of DSPC synthesis and degradation in alveolar type II epithelial cells, which produce surfactant. Cells isolated from rats given TNF-alpha had 26% lower levels of phosphatidylcholine compared with control. TNF-alpha treatment also decreased the ability of these cells to incorporate [(3)H]choline into DSPC by 45% compared with control isolates. There were no significant differences in the levels of choline substrate or choline transport between the groups. However, TNF-alpha produced a 64% decrease in the activity of cytidylyltransferase, the rate-regulatory enzyme required for DSPC synthesis. TNF-alpha administration in vivo also tended to stimulate phospholipase A(2) activity, but it did not alter other parameters for DSPC degradation such as activities for phosphatidylcholine-specific phospholipase C or phospholipase D. These observations indicate that TNF-alpha decreases the levels of surfactant lipid by decreasing the activity of a key enzyme involved in surfactant lipid synthesis. The results do not exclude stimulatory effects of the cytokine on phosphatidylcholine breakdown.

ATP-induced killing of virulent Mycobacterium tuberculosis within human macrophages requires phospholipase D

The global dissemination of antibiotic-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis has underscored the urgent need to understand the molecular mechanisms of immunity to this pathogen. Use of biological immunomodulatory compounds to enhance antituberculous therapy has been hampered by the limited efficacy of these agents toward infected human macrophages and lack of information regarding their mechanisms of activity. We tested the hypotheses that extracellular ATP (ATPe) promotes killing of virulent M. tuberculosis within human macrophages, and that activation of a specific macrophage enzyme, phospholipase D (PLD), functions in this response. ATPe treatment of infected monocyte-derived macrophages resulted in 3.5-log reduction in the viability of three different virulent strains of M. tuberculosis. Stimulation of macrophage P2X7 purinergic receptors was necessary, but not sufficient, for maximal killing by primary macrophages or human THP-1 promonocytes differentiated to a macrophage phenotype. Induction of tuberculocidal activity by ATPe was accompanied by marked stimulation of PLD activity, and two mechanistically distinct inhibitors of PLD produced dose-dependent reductions in ATPe-induced killing of intracellular bacilli. Purified PLD restored control levels of mycobacterial killing to inhibitor-treated cells, and potentiated ATPe-dependent tuberculocidal activity in control macrophages. These results demonstrate that ATPe promotes killing of virulent M. tuberculosis within infected human macrophages and strongly suggest that activation of PLD plays a key role in this process.

Effects of local anesthetics on phospholipase D activity in differentiated human promyelocytic leukemic HL60 cells

Local anesthetics impair certain functions of neutrophils, and phospholipase D (PLD) is considered to play an important role in the regulation of these functions. To understand the mechanisms by which local anesthetics suppress the functions of neutrophils, we examined the effects of local anesthetics on PLD in neutrophil-like differentiated human promyelocytic leukemic HL60 cells. Tetracaine, a local anesthetic, inhibited formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (fMLP)- and 4beta-phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA)-induced PLD activation, but potentiated fMLP-stimulated phospholipase C activity. All four local anesthetics tested suppressed PMA-induced PLD activation to different extents, and the order of their potency was tetracaine > bupivacaine > lidocaine > procaine. In a cell-free system, tetracaine suppressed guanosine 5'-O-(3-thiotriphosphate) (GTPgammaS)-induced PLD activation as well as PMA-induced PLD activation. Western blot analysis revealed that tetracaine prevented the membrane translocation of PLD-activating factors, ADP-ribosylation factor, RhoA, and protein kinase Calpha. Tetracaine also inhibited the activity of recombinant hPLD1a in vitro. These results suggest that local anesthetics suppress PLD activation in differentiated HL60 cells by preventing the membrane translocation of PLD-activating factors, and/or by directly inhibiting the enzyme per se. Therefore, it could be assumed that local anesthetics would suppress the functions of neutrophils by inhibition of PLD activation.

Identification of sex-specific differences in surfactant synthesis in rat lung

Delayed lung maturation and lower levels of surfactant phosphatidylcholine have been previously identified in male fetuses compared with female fetuses in several species. We investigated the mechanisms for sex differences in surfactant content by examining parameters of phosphatidylcholine turnover and biosynthesis; the latter was evaluated by measuring metabolic steps within the biosynthetic pathway. Compared with male lung cells, freshly isolated lung cells from female fetuses contained higher levels of disaturated phosphatidylcholine, a marker of surfactant lipid. Female mixed monolayer cultures exhibited a 71% increase in choline incorporation into disaturated phosphatidylcholine compared with male cultures. Male cultures exhibited significantly greater release of [3H]-arachidonic acid into the medium compared with females, suggesting sex differences in phospholipase activity. However, pulse-chase studies showed no sex differences in degradation of disaturated phosphatidylcholine, which was confirmed by assays of phospholipase A2, phosphatidylcholine-specific phospholipase C, and phospholipase D. Female mixed lung cells, however, had greater rates of cellular choline transport and activity of cytidylyltransferase, the rate-regulatory enzyme for phosphatidylcholine synthesis. Separate studies showed that exposure of sex-specific pretype II cell cultures to cortisol-stimulated fibroblast-conditioned medium plus transforming growth factor-beta-neutralizing antibody stimulated cytidylyltransferase activity to a greater extent in male cells compared with female cells. These studies indicate that sex differences in surfactant phospholipid content are not due to differences in phospholipid turnover, but rather differential regulation of specific metabolic steps within the surfactant biosynthetic pathway. The data also support a role for transforming growth factor-beta as a negative regulator of a key surfactant biosynthetic enzyme within male lungs.

Mechanisms of phagocytosis in macrophages

Phagocytosis of pathogens by macrophages initiates the innate immune response, which in turn orchestrates the adaptive response. In order to discriminate between infectious agents and self, macrophages have evolved a restricted number of phagocytic receptors, like the mannose receptor, that recognize conserved motifs on pathogens. Pathogens are also phagocytosed by complement receptors after relatively nonspecific opsonization with complement and by Fc receptors after specific opsonization with antibodies. All these receptors induce rearrangements in the actin cytoskeleton that lead to the internalization of the particle. However, important differences in the molecular mechanisms underlying phagocytosis by different receptors are now being appreciated. These include differences in the cytoskeletal elements that mediate ingestion, differences in vacuole maturation, and differences in inflammatory responses. Infectious agents, such as M. tuberculosis, Legionella pneumophila, and Salmonella typhimurium, enter macrophages via heterogeneous pathways and modify vacuolar maturation in a manner that favors their survival. Macrophages also play an important role in the recognition and clearance of apoptotic cells; a notable feature of this process is the absence of an inflammatory response.

Characterization of cellular response to thiol-modified gold surfaces implanted in mouse peritoneal cavity

The early inflammatory reaction in vivo to three well defined surfaces-gold, gold coated with glutathione (GSH), and 3-mercapto-1, 2-propanediol (MG)-was assessed as manifested by the adherence and activation of inflammatory cells during implantation intraperitoneally in mice. Evaluation of cell adhesion and activation was done by immunohistochemistry using specific monoclonal antibodies directed against cell differentiation antigens CD11b/CD18, CD74, and CD25 or by measurement by chemoluminescence of reactive oxygen radical species produced by adhering cells. Cell recruitment and activation was slow on the GSH-coated gold surfaces. These surfaces also had the highest percentage of adhering cells with an intact cell membrane. The MG-coated surfaces, on the other hand, rapidly recruited and activated cells and also caused cell membrane leakage to propidium iodide, suggesting cell membrane damage or cell death. The respiratory burst of adhering cells was stimulated by phorbol-myristate acetate on the GSH-coated surface but not on the MG-coated surface and by opsonized zymosan on the Mg-coated surface but only to a small degree on the GSH-coated surface. The respiratory burst following zymosan activation of cells adhering to the MG-coated surface was inhibited by treatment with 2. 3-diphosphoglycerate, a phospholipase D inhibitor. The presented data suggest that peritoneal leukocytes adhering to foreign materials may raise a respiratory burst response via a phospholipase D-dependent and protein kinase C-independent pathway.

Signaling pathways in phagocytosis

Phagocytosis is an uptake of large particles governed by the actin-based cytoskeleton. Binding of particles to specific cell surface receptors is the first step of phagocytosis. In higher Eucaryota, the receptors able to mediate phagocytosis are expressed almost exclusively in macrophages, neutrophils, and monocytes, conferring immunodefence properties to these cells. Receptor clustering is thought to occur upon particle binding, that in turn generates a phagocytic signal. Several pathways of phagocytic signal transduction have been identified, including the activation of tyrosine kinases and (or) serine/threonine kinase C in pivotal roles. Kinase activation leads to phosphorylation of the receptors and other proteins, recruited at the sites of phagocytosis. Monomeric GTPases of the Rho and ARF families are likely to be engaged downstream of activated receptors. The GTPases, in cooperation with phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate 5-kinase and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase lipid modifying enzymes, can modulate locally the assembly of the submembranous actin filament system leading to particle internalization.

Possible role of phospholipase D in cellular differentiation and apoptosis

Phospholipase D (PLD) is widely distributed in mammalian cells and is implicated in a variety of physiological processes that reveal it to be a member of the signal transducing phospholipases. Recently, two related PLD isozymes, PLD1 and PLD2, were cloned. The former activity is regulated in vitro by protein kinase C and small molecular weight GTP-binding proteins (Arf and Rho family). By contrast, the basal activity of the latter is high and it is unresponsive in vitro to these activators. The cellular PLD activity and mRNA levels of these PLD isozymes drastically changed during differentiation and apoptosis in several types of cells. The general trend was that the mRNA level of PLD1 increased during differentiation, as did the observed GTP gamma S-dependent PLD activity which presumably derived from PLD1-specific catalysis. In contrast, the PLD activity and mRNA level of PLD1 were down-regulated during apoptosis. In addition to these PLD isozymes, there exists another PLD isozyme which is activated by unsaturated fatty acids such as oleic acid, although its molecular nature and physiological roles are not well defined. We have observed that this type of PLD activity is drastically increased during apoptosis of Jurkat T cells, which mainly possess this kind of PLD activity. These results suggest the possibility that PLD activity is controlled at the transcriptional level in certain circumstances, and that PLD plays roles in differentiation, survival and apoptosis in mammalian cells.

Phospholipases and phagocytosis: the role of phospholipid-derived second messengers in phagocytosis

Phagocytosis, the process by which leukocytes recognize and destroy invading pathogens, is essential for host defense. The binding of foreign organisms to phagocytic leukocytes initiates a complex signaling cascade which ultimately results in the entrapment and destruction of the pathogen. The signal transduction pathway mediating phagocytosis is the subject of intense investigation and is known to include protein tyrosine kinases, GTP-binding proteins, protein kinase C (PKC), actin polymerization and membrane movement. A rapidly expanding body of evidence suggests that phospholipases play an integral role in phagocytosis by generating essential second messengers. Here we review the data linking activation of phospholipase A2 (PLA2), phospholipase C (PLC) phospholipase D (PLD), and phosphoinositide 3-OH kinase (PI(3)K) to antibody (IgG)-mediated phagocytosis. Evidence is presented that (1) PLA2-derived arachidonic acid (AA) stimulates NADPH oxidase and membrane redistribution during phagocytosis, (2) the inositol-3,4,5-triphosphate (IP3) and diacylglycerol (DAG) products of PLC activate NADPH oxidase and PKC, and (3) sequential activation of PLD and phosphatidic acid phosphohydrolase may provide an alternative pathway for generation of DAG. Additionally, considerable evidence exists that wortmannin, a PI(3)K inhibitor, depresses phagocytosis. This finding is discussed in the context of the extensive effects PI(3)K products have on endocytosis and exocytosis and the potential role of membrane redistribution in phagocytosis. Finally, a model is presented which integrates data obtained from a variety of phagocytic systems and illustrates potential interactions that may exist between phospholipase-derived second messengers and signaling events required for phagocytosis.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis phagosome

The arrest of Mycobacterium tuberculosis phagosome maturation in infected macrophages is a phenomenon of dual significance both for the pathogenesis of tuberculosis and as a model system to study interference of microbes with membrane trafficking and organelle biogenesis in host cells. Among other factors, compartment-specialized regulators of vesicular trafficking and other parts of membrane fusion machinery are likely to play a role in these processes. Here we summarize the emerging view of mycobacterial phagosome maturation arrest in the context of the dynamic processes of intracellular membrane trafficking.

A Phosphatidylcholine-Specific Phospholipase C Regulates Activation of p42/44 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases in Lipopolysaccharide-Stimulated Human Alveolar Macrophages

This study uses human alveolar macrophages to determine whether activation of a phosphatidylcholine (PC)-specific phospholipase C (PC-PLC) is linked to activation of the p42/44 (ERK) kinases by LPS. LPS-induced ERK kinase activation was inhibited by tricyclodecan-9-yl xanthogenate (D609), a relatively specific inhibitor of PC-PLC. LPS also increased amounts of diacylglycerol (DAG), and this increase in DAG was inhibited by D609. LPS induction of DAG was, at least in part, derived from PC hydrolysis. Ceramide was also increased in LPS-treated alveolar macrophages, and this increase in ceramide was inhibited by D609. Addition of exogenous C2 ceramide or bacterial-derived sphingomyelinase to alveolar macrophages increased ERK kinase activity. LPS also activated PKC ζ, and this activation was inhibited by D609. LPS-activated PKC ζ phosphorylated MAP kinase kinase, the kinase directly upstream of the ERK kinases. LPS-induced cytokine production (RNA and protein) was also inhibited by D609. As an aggregate, these studies support the hypothesis that one way by which LPS activates the ERK kinases is via activation of PC-PLC and that activation of a PC-PLC is an important component of macrophage activation by LPS.

Salmonella typhimurium and lipopolysaccharide stimulate extracellularly regulated kinase activation in macrophages by a mechanism involving phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase and phospholipase D as novel intermediates

Activation of the extracellularly regulated kinase (ERK) pathway is part of the early biochemical events that follow lipopolysaccharide (LPS) treatment of macrophages or their infection by virulent and attenuated Salmonella strains. Phagocytosis as well as the secretion of invasion-associated proteins is dispensable for ERK activation by the pathogen. Furthermore, the pathways used by Salmonella and LPS to stimulate ERK are identical, suggesting that kinase activation might be solely mediated by LPS. Both stimuli activate ERK by a mechanism involving herbimycin-dependent tyrosine kinase(s) and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase. Phospholipase D activation and stimulation of protein kinase C appear to be intermediates in this novel pathway of MEK/ERK activation.

β1 Integrin Cross-Linking Inhibits CD16-Induced Phospholipase D and Secretory Phospholipase A2 Activity and Granule Exocytosis in Human NK cells: Role of Phospholipase D in CD16-Triggered Degranulation

Recent data indicate that integrin-generated signals can modulate different receptor-stimulated cell functions in both a positive (costimulation) and a negative (inhibition) fashion. Here we investigated the ability of β1 integrins, namely α4β1 and α5β1 fibronectin receptors, to modulate CD16-triggered phospholipase activation in human NK cells. β1 integrin simultaneous cross-linking selectively inhibited CD16-induced phospholipase D (PLD) activation, without affecting either phosphatidylinositol-phospholipase C or cytosolic phospholipase A2 (PLA2) enzymatic activity. CD16-induced secretory PLA2 (sPLA2) protein release as well as its enzymatic activity in both cell-associated and soluble forms were also found to be inhibited upon β1 integrin coengagement. The similar effects exerted by specific PLD pharmacological inhibitors (2,3-diphosphoglycerate, ethanol) suggest that in our experimental system, sPLA2 secretion and activation are under the control of a PLD-dependent pathway. By using pharmacological inhibitors (2,3-diphosphoglycerate, wortmannin, ethanol) we also demonstrated that PLD activation is an important step in the CD16-triggered signaling cascade that leads to NK cytotoxic granule exocytosis. Consistent with these findings, fibronectin receptor engagement, by either mAbs or natural ligands, resulted in a selective inhibition of CD16-triggered, but not of PMA/ionomycin-induced, degranulation that was reversed by the exogenous addition of purified PLD from Streptomyces chromofuscus.

Fcγ Receptor-Mediated Activation of Phospholipase D Regulates Macrophage Phagocytosis of IgG-Opsonized Particles

Receptors for the Fc portion of IgG (FcγRs) integrate the innate and acquired components of immunity by coupling the specific recognition of IgG Abs to the activation of phagocytic leukocytes. Knowledge of the molecular mechanisms that regulate phagocyte stimulation by FcγRs may permit therapeutic modulation to augment immunoprotective aspects and minimize damage to host tissues in diverse inflammatory diseases. Since phospholipase D (PLD) has been linked to the stimulation of cytotoxic leukocyte responses, we characterized FcγR-dependent activation of PLD in human macrophages. IgG-coated SRBCs (EIgG) stimulated a 9.4-fold increase in PLD activity compared with SRBCs treated with control Ab (p < 0.001), determined by formation of the PLD-specific product phosphatidylethanol in the presence of 0.5% ethanol. Levels of phosphatidic acid, the physiologic product of PLD-mediated catalyzis, were significantly increased in the absence of ethanol (6.4-fold, p < 0.001). PLD activity was also stimulated by immune complex-coated latex beads or cross-linking of Abs specific for FcγRI, FcγRII, or FcγRIII. Phagocytosis of EIgG was reduced by two inhibitors of PLD-mediated signaling, 2,3-diphosphoglycerate or 1-butanol. Addition of purified PLD restored control levels of phagocytosis in cells in which endogenous PLD was inhibited. The tyrosine kinase inhibitors genistein and herbimycin A caused concordant reductions in FcγR-stimulated PLD activity and phagocytosis. These studies demonstrate that FcγR-mediated phagocytosis is accompanied by tyrosine kinase-dependent activation of PLD and support the hypothesis that stimulation of PLD functions to regulate the ingestion of IgG-opsonized particles.

Association of phospholipase D activity with the detergent-insoluble cytoskeleton of U937 promonocytic leukocytes

Phospholipase D (PLD) regulates cytoskeletal-dependent antimicrobial responses of myeloid leukocytes, including phagocytosis and oxidant generation. However, the mechanisms responsible for this association between PLD activity and the actin cytoskeleton are unknown. We utilized a cell-free system from U937 promonocytes to test the hypothesis that stimulation of PLD results in stable association of the activated lipase with the detergent-insoluble membrane skeleton. Plasma membrane and cytosol were incubated +/- guanosine 5'-3-O-(thio)triphosphate (GTPgammaS), followed by re-isolation and extraction of the washed membranes with octyl glucoside. The detergent-insoluble fraction derived from membranes incubated with GTPgammaS (DIFGTPgammaS) exhibited 22-fold greater PLD activity than that derived from control membranes (DIF0), when both were assayed in the presence of GTPgammaS. The DIF contained PLD1, RhoA, and ARF, and the level of each was increased by GTPgammaS in a dose-dependent manner. The DIF also contained F-actin, vinculin, talin, paxillin, and alpha-actinin, consistent with its identification as the membrane skeleton. The physiologic relevance of these findings was demonstrated by a similar increase in DIF-associated PLD activity after stimulation of intact U937 cells with opsonized zymosan. These results indicate that stimulation of PLD1 is accompanied by stable association of the activated lipase, RhoA, and ADP-ribosylation factor with the actin-based membrane skeleton.

Monosodium urate-crystal-stimulated phospholipase D in human neutrophils

Protein kinase Calpha (PKCalpha) and small GTPases of the Rho and ADP-ribosylation factor (Arf) family are implicated in the regulation of phospholipase D1 (PLD1) activity. Although they are involved in fMet-Leu-Phe (fMLP)-mediated PLD activation, their role in monosodium urate (MSU)-stimulated PLD1 activity in human neutrophils is not clear. The translocation of PKCalpha, RhoA and Arf from the cytosol to the membranes was monitored. fMLP induced a cytochalasin B (CB)-dependent recruitment of Arf, RhoA and PKCalpha to neutrophil membranes. CB also increased the activation of PLD 10-fold. In contrast with fMLP, MSU stimulated a sustained and time-dependent relocalization of Arf and PKCalpha, but not of RhoA, to the membrane fraction. MSU-stimulated PLD was activated with a time course preceding membrane recruitment of Arf and PKCalpha in the absence of CB. Furthermore, MSU-induced PLD activation and the membrane recruitment of PKCalpha, but not that of Arf, were inhibited by CB. An anti-FcgammaRIIIB antibody, VIFcRIII, prevented the membrane relocalization of Arf and PKCalpha and the stimulation of the levels of tyrosine phosphorylation and of PLD activity induced by MSU. Erbstatin and ST-638, two inhibitors of tyrosine kinases, inhibited the MSU-induced translocation of Arf and PKCalpha but not MSU-induced tyrosine phosphorylation and PLD activation. Furthermore MSU crystals did not cause the tyrosine phosphorylation of PLD1. The present study indicates that soluble and particulate agonists show selectivity in inducing the translocation of RhoA in neutrophils and that the ability of MSU to increase PLD activation was independent of the membrane relocalization of Arf and PKCalpha.