Absence of trauma-induced leukocyte rolling in mice deficient in both P-selectin and intercellular adhesion molecule 1

In vivo analysis of the microcirculation of osteomyocutaneous flaps using fluorescence microscopy

Previous studies have indicated that freely transferred osteomyocutaneous flaps may fail despite anastomotic patency. While microvascular dysfunction is thought to be one of the major causes for this type of flap failure, little is known of its underlying mechanisms, probably due to the lack of adequate experimental models allowing detailed intravital microcirculatory analysis. Herein we report quantitative analysis of the microcirculation of periosteum, muscle, subcutis and skin by intravital fluorescence microscopy using an osteomyocutaneous free flap model in the hindlimb of rats. The microcirculation of the different tissues was studied after microanastomotic transfer (free flap), and was compared to that after solely elevating the tissue, mimicking a pedicled osteomyocutaneous flap. Transferred flaps, which were exposed to 1 h of ischaemia during the anastomotic procedure, showed a slight but significant decrease (P< 0.05) of functional capillary density in muscle, subcutis and skin when compared with the microcirculation of pedicled flaps, while capillary diameters, red blood cell velocity and blood flow of perfused capillaries remained almost unaffected. The decrease of functional capillary density was associated by a significant (P< 0.05) inflammatory response, as indicated by the increased number of leukocytes adherent to the endothelial lining of postcapillary venules. While the functional capillary density of periosteum was not affected by the free transfer procedure, the inflammatory response was found similar when compared with that observed in muscle and subcutis. Thus, our study indicates that even after a short 1-h ischaemic time period, capillary perfusion failure and leukocyte-endothelial cell interaction are the main events, characterising microvascular dysfunction after free transfer of osteomyocutaneous flaps. Using the model described herein, intravital microscopic analysis of the microcirculation proved an appropriate tool to study the individual microvascular response after free tissue transfer, and may thus be used to evaluate the effectiveness of novel therapeutic regimens which aim at counteracting microcirculatory dysfunction in free osteomyocutaneous flaps.

Acceleration and Increased Severity of Collagen-Induced Arthritis in P-Selectin Mutant Mice

P-selectin plays an important role in leukocyte adherence to microvascular endothelium and is expressed in synovial tissue from patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, the contribution of P-selectin to the initiation and chronicity of joint inflammation is not well understood. In these studies, collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) was induced in P-selectin mutant (−/−) mice to explore the role of P-selectin in the development of joint inflammation. Surprisingly, CIA onset was accelerated and severity was increased in P-selectin mutant mice, compared with wild-type mice (+/+). Increased levels of anti-type II collagen IgG were detected in both nonarthritic and arthritic P-selectin mutant mice from days 14–91. In addition, splenocytes isolated from immunized and nonimmunized P-selectin mutant mice produced significantly less IL-2 and IL-4, but significantly higher levels of IL-10 and IL-5 than splenocytes from wild-type mice. These observations show that P-selectin-mediated leukocyte rolling is not required for the development of murine CIA and that P-selectin expression exerts a controlling effect on the development of Ag-driven inflammatory joint disease, possibly by mediating the recruitment and/or trafficking of specific leukocyte subtypes into lymphoid tissue or inflammatory foci.

Leukocyte Entry into Sites of Inflammation Requires Overlapping Interactions Between the L-Selectin and ICAM-1 Pathways

Leukocyte interactions with vascular endothelium during inflammation depend on cascades of adhesion molecule engagement, particularly during selectin-mediated leukocyte rolling. Leukocyte rolling is also facilitated by members of the integrin and Ig families. Specifically, leukocyte rolling velocities during inflammation are significantly increased in ICAM-1-deficient mice, with ICAM-1 expression required for optimal P- and L-selectin-mediated rolling. Elimination of ICAM-1 expression in L-selectin-deficient mice significantly reduces leukocyte rolling. Whether disrupted leukocyte rolling in L-selectin and ICAM-1 double-deficient (L-selectin/ICAM-1−/−) mice affects leukocyte entry into sites of inflammation in vivo was assessed in the current study by using experimental models of inflammation; thioglycollate-induced peritonitis, chemokine-induced neutrophil migration to the skin, delayed-type hypersensitivity responses, rejection of allogeneic skin grafts, and septic shock. In many cases, the loss of both L-selectin and ICAM-1 expression dramatically reduced leukocyte migration into sites of inflammation beyond what was observed with loss of either receptor alone. In fact, the effects from loss of both L-selectin and ICAM-1 effectively eliminated multiple chronic inflammatory responses in L-selectin/ICAM-1−/− mice. By contrast, the combined loss of L-selectin and ICAM-1 expression had minimal effects on the generation of Ag-specific T cell responses or humoral immunity. Thus, members of the selectin and Ig families function synergistically to mediate optimal leukocyte rolling and entry into tissues, which is essential for the generation of effective inflammatory responses in vivo.

P-selectin and ICAM-1 mediate endotoxin-induced neutrophil recruitment and injury to the lung and liver

The role of leukocyte adhesion molecules in endotoxin-induced organ injury was evaluated by administering intraperitoneal Salmonella enteritidis lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to wild-type (WT) mice, P-selectin-deficient mice, intercellular adhesion molecule (ICAM)-1-deficient mice, and P-selectin-ICAM-1 double-mutant mice. In WT mice, there was a sevenfold increase in the number of neutrophils present in the pulmonary vascular lavage fluid, and there were sevenfold more intracapillary neutrophils by electron-microscopic (EM) morphometry at 4 h after intraperitoneal LPS compared with that in control mice. Extravascular albumin accumulation increased approximately twofold in the lungs and liver of WT mice treated with LPS. In the double-mutant mice, although overall mortality after intraperitoneal LPS was not attenuated, there was a significant delay in mortality in the P-selectin-ICAM-1-deficient mutants compared with that in WT mice after intraperitoneal LPS (P < 0.01). Moreover, compared with LPS-treated WT mice, lung and liver extravascular albumin accumulation was significantly lower in LPS-treated P-selectin-ICAM-1 double-mutant mice. Lung myeloperoxidase activity, normalized per 1,000 circulating neutrophils, increased after endotoxin in WT and P-selectin-deficient mice but not in P-selectin-ICAM-1 double-mutant mice. In addition, lung and liver myeloperoxidase activity per 1,000 circulating neutrophils in endotoxin-treated ICAM-1-deficient mice and P-selectin-ICAM-1 double mutants was significantly lower compared with that in endotoxin-treated WT mice. These data suggest that P-selectin and ICAM-1 significantly contribute to lung and liver injury after systemic endotoxemia.

Mice Lacking Two or All Three Selectins Demonstrate Overlapping and Distinct Functions for Each Selectin

Selectins support the capture and rolling of leukocytes in venules at sites of inflammation and in lymphocyte homing. Gene-targeted mice with null mutations at the L-, E-, or P-selectin locus develop normally and show mild (E−/−) to moderate (P−/−, L−/−) defects in inflammatory cell recruitment. Mice lacking both P- and E-selectin (E/P−/−) have severe neutrophilia and spontaneous skin infections that limit their life span. Other combinations of selectin deficiency have not been investigated. We have generated novel mice lacking L- and P-selectin (L/P−/−), L- and E-selectin (L/E−/−), or all three selectins (E/L/P−/−) by bone marrow transplantation. L/P−/− mice (only E-selectin present) show an absence of leukocyte rolling after trauma and severely reduced rolling (by ∼90%) in inflammation induced by TNF-α. Residual rolling in L/P−/− mice was very slow (3.6 ± 0.2 μm/s after TNF-α). L/E−/− mice (only P-selectin present) showed rolling similar to that of L−/− at increased velocities (15.1 ± 0.3 μm/s). The number of adherent leukocytes after 2 or 6 h of TNF-α treatment was not significantly reduced in L/E−/− or L/P−/− mice. E/L/P−/− mice showed very little rolling after TNF-α, all of which was blocked by mAb to α4 integrin. Adherent and emigrated neutrophils were significantly reduced at 6 h after TNF-α. We conclude that any one of the selectins can support some neutrophil recruitment but eliminating all three selectins significantly impairs neutrophil recruitment.

Chronic Inflammatory Disease Alters Adhesion Molecule Requirements for Acute Neutrophil Emigration in Mouse Skin

Mutant mice triply deficient in ICAM-1, E-selectin, and P-selectin did not develop the neutrophilic skin lesions that spontaneously arise in mutants doubly deficient in E-selectin and P-selectin. Thus, ICAM-1 is essential to skin disease resulting from endothelial selectin deficiency. During experimental dermatitis, acute neutrophil emigration was completely prevented in young mice deficient in both selectins (E/P and E/P/I mutants). However, older E/P mutants with spontaneous skin lesions displayed an endothelial selectin-independent pathway for acute neutrophil emigration. In contrast, emigration remained compromised in E/P/I mutants and CD18 mutants regardless of age or lesions. Experimentally induced chronic lesions elicited this pathway for acute emigration in young E/P mutants. Thus, an endothelial selectin-independent pathway for acute neutrophil emigration is induced in E/P mice by chronic inflammation at distant sites, and this pathway may contribute to skin disease resulting from endothelial selectin deficiency.

Assessment of the mechanism of juxtacrine activation and adhesion of leukocytes in liver microcirculation

Leukotriene C4 (LTC4), histamine, and other mediators can induce expression of P-selectin and platelet-activating factor (PAF) on venular endothelium to recruit leukocytes in vivo and in vitro via a juxtacrine mechanism of adhesion. The objective of this study was to assess the effect of histamine and LTC4 on the leukocyte recruitment in the liver and to study the components and molecular mechanisms involved in this process. We visualized the hepatic microvasculature using intravital microscopy and we determined that LTC4 (20 nM) but not histamine (0.1, 0.3, or 1 mM) induced leukocyte recruitment in the liver microcirculation. Histamine could induce leukocyte recruitment but only in the presence of an antihistaminase. The LTC4-induced leukocyte recruitment occurred primarily in sinusoids (not venules) and was not inhibitable by three different anti-P-selectin antibodies (5H1, RMP-1, and RB40). Leukocyte recruitment in P-selectin-deficient mice, intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1)-deficient mice, and mice treated with a PAF antagonist was of the same magnitude as in wild-type animals in response to LTC4. Although PAF alone could induce adhesion in both sinusoids and postsinusoidal venules, this chemotactic agent was not involved in LTC4-induced adhesion in the liver. Finally, an overlapping role for P-selectin and ICAM-1 was ruled out as LTC4 induced leukocyte recruitment in P-selectin and ICAM-1 double-deficient mice. These data demonstrate that LTC4 does not activate the known early mechanisms of leukocyte recruitment, including P-selectin, PAF, or ICAM-1 in the hepatic microvasculature.

Relevance of L-selectin shedding for leukocyte rolling in vivo

The velocity of rolling leukocytes is thought to be determined by the expression of adhesion molecules and the prevailing wall shear stress. Here, we investigate whether rapid cleavage of L-selectin may be an additional physiologic regulatory parameter of leukocyte rolling. A unique protease in the membrane of leukocytes cleaves L-selectin after activation, resulting in L-selectin shedding. The hydroxamic acid-based metalloprotease inhibitor KD-IX-73-4 completely prevented L-selectin shedding in vitro and significantly decreased the rolling velocity of leukocytes in untreated wild-type C57BL/6 mice from 55 to 35 micrometer/seconds in vivo. When E-selectin was expressed on the endothelium (tumor necrosis factor [TNF]-alpha treatment 2.5-3 h before the experiment), rolling velocity was 4 micrometer/seconds and did not change after the application of KD-IX-73-4. However, KD-IX-73-4 decreased mean rolling velocity by 29% from 23 to 16 micrometer/seconds in E-selectin-deficient mice treated with TNF-alpha. The reduction of velocity caused by KD-IX-73-4 was immediate (<5 s) after injection of KD-IX-73-4 as shown by a novel method using a local catheter. These results establish a role for L-selectin shedding in regulating leukocyte rolling velocity in vivo.

Cytokine regulation of cellular adhesion molecule expression in inflammation

Cellular adhesion molecules (CAMs) play an essential role in tethering circulating leukocytes to the vascular endothelium at sites of inflammation. They are also instrumental in enabling leukocytes to transmigrate from blood vessels into adjacent inflamed tissues. In the absence of signals to stimulate expression of CAMs, the adhesive forces between leukocytes and the vascular endothelium are below the threshold level required to tether leukocytes. Research in the last decade has shown that several cytokines, including tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF alpha) and interleukin-1 beta (IL-1beta), potently increase the expression of many CAMs and thus increase the adhesiveness between leukocytes and the endothelium. The CAM-inducing activity of these cytokines is therefore crucial to the regulation of inflammatory processes. Overactivation of CAM expression is linked to a number of acute and chronic inflammatory conditions, and has led to the rationale of antagonising cytokine activity and or CAM expression in order to treat these conditions. The potential application of 'adhesion' antagonists for the therapy of acute chronic inflammatory conditions is briefly discussed.

Overlapping Roles for L-Selectin and P-Selectin in Antigen-Induced Immune Responses in the Microvasculature

Although L-selectin mediates lymphocyte attachment to endothelial venules of peripheral lymph nodes, its role in leukocyte recruitment into tissues following Ag challenge is less well established. The objective of this study was to systematically examine the role of L-selectin in leukocyte rolling in the peripheral microvasculature during the first 24 h of an immune response. A type I hypersensitivity response was elicited in wild-type (C57BL/6) and L-selectin-deficient mice by systemic (i.p.) sensitization and intrascrotal challenge with chicken egg OVA. The cremaster microcirculation was observed in untreated and sensitized mice 4, 8, and 24 h post-Ag challenge by intravital microscopy. Leukocyte recruitment in L-selectin-deficient mice and wild-type mice treated with an L-selectin function-blocking mAb was examined at each time point. Ag challenge induced a significant increase in leukocyte rolling (60 cells/min/venule to ∼300 cells/min/venule) in wild-type mice at 4–24 h. This response was reduced by approximately 60–70% in L-selectin-deficient mice and in wild-type mice treated with an L-selectin-blocking mAb. P-selectin blockade by Ab completely inhibited leukocyte rolling at 4–24 h in wild-type animals and also blocked the residual rolling seen in L-selectin-deficient mice. Blocking E-selectin function had no effect on leukocyte rolling flux at any time point in wild-type or L-selectin-deficient mice. Despite reduced rolling, leukocyte adhesion and emigration were not measurably reduced in the L-selectin-deficient mice in this vascular bed. In conclusion, leukocyte rolling is L-selectin-dependent post-Ag challenge with L-selectin and P-selectin sharing overlapping functions.

Leukocyte-endothelial cell interactions - lessons from knockout mice

The advent of gene targeting has led to the generation of several mouse strains deficient in select leukocyte adhesion receptors. These strains of mice have been very informative about the roles of cell adhesion molecules in leukocyte-endothelium interaction and have produced some surprises: roles for leukocyte adhesion receptors have been demonstrated in development as well as pathologies like obesity, and evidence for functional synergies between adhesion receptors have been provided. We attempt in this review to first outline the technique of gene targeting and give an overview of leukocyte adhesion receptors and mice deficient in these receptors. Second, we discuss models of experimental glomerulonephritis and what we have learned about leukocyte adhesion receptors in the pathogenesis of glomerulonephritis through studies in knockout mice.

Expression of laminin alpha1, alpha2, alpha4, and alpha5 chains, fibronectin, and tenascin-C in skeletal muscle of dystrophic 129ReJ dy/dy mice

The dy/dy mouse is an animal model for human merosin-negative congenital muscular dystrophy (CMD), which has been reported to have reduced or no expression of the basement membrane protein laminin alpha2. We here investigate various myogenic and nonmyogenic tissues of mature dy/dy and control 129ReJ mice histologically and for laminin alpha2 expression. In addition, expression patterns of laminin alpha1, alpha2, alpha4, and alpha5 chains, the interstitial proteins fibronectin and tenascin-C, and the adhesion molecules VCAM-1, ICAM-1, and alpha4 integrin were characterized in skeletal muscle of 1- and 7-day and mature (>6 weeks old) dy/dy and control 129ReJ mice. The laminin alpha2 chain remained detectable in myogenic tissues of dy/dy mice by immunofluorescence using two different monoclonal antibodies and by Northern blot analysis. However, laminin alpha2 expression was significantly reduced or not detectable in nonmyogenic tissues of dy/dy mice, including skin, lung, kidney, brain, thymus, and eye. Focal lesions were observed in mature skeletal muscle only, characterized by necrotic tissue, isolated VCAM-1- and ICAM-1-positive cells indicative of inflammatory processes, and regenerating muscle fibers surrounded by intense tenascin-C and fibronectin expression. In contrast to studies on human CMD muscle, laminin alpha1 was not detectable in either dy/dy or control skeletal muscle using immunofluorescence or Northern blot analysis. Immunofluorescence localized laminin alpha4 to basement membranes of blood vessels, the endoneurium of the intramuscular nerves, and the neuromuscular junction in skeletal muscle of 1- and 7-day-old dy/dy and control mice. In mature muscle, laminin alpha4 expression shifted to the perineurium of intramuscular nerves in both dy/dy and control mice. Furthermore, strong upregulation of laminin alpha4 in the basement membranes of blood vessels, the perineurium of intramuscular nerves, and of isolated regenerating muscle fibers in the dy/dy mice was apparent. Investigation of 1-day-old animals revealed expression of laminin alpha5 in skeletal muscle fiber basement membranes of dy/dy but not control animals. This difference between dy/dy and control animals was no longer apparent at 7 days after birth, indicating a temporary shift in expression pattern of laminin alpha5 in dy/dy animals. Analysis of the extracellular matrix components of 1- and 7-day-old dy/dy and control skeletal muscle revealed an early onset of the dystrophy, even before histopathological features of the disease were evident. Our data confirm the absence of laminin alpha1 chain in myogenic tissues of both dy/dy and control mice and suggest compensation for reduced laminin alpha2 in dy/dy skeletal muscle by laminin alpha4 and, in early development, also laminin alpha5. These results have significant ramifications in the diagnosis of human merosin-negative CMD.

Mechanisms that regulate the function of the selectins and their ligands

Selectins are a family of three cell adhesion molecules (L-, E-, and P-selectin) specialized in capturing leukocytes from the bloodstream to the blood vessel wall. This initial cell contact is followed by the selectin-mediated rolling of leukocytes on the endothelial cell surface. This represents the first step in a cascade of molecular interactions that lead to leukocyte extravasation, enabling the processes of lymphocyte recirculation and leukocyte migration into inflamed tissue. The central importance of the selectins in these processes has been well documented in vivo by the use of adhesion-blocking antibodies as well as by studies on selectin gene-deficient mice. This review focuses on the molecular mechanisms that regulate expression and function(s) of the selectins and their ligands. Cell-surface expression of the selectins is regulated by a variety of different mechanisms. The selectins bind to carbohydrate structures on glycoproteins, glycolipids, and proteoglycans. Glycoproteins are the most likely candidates for physiologically relevant ligands. Only a few glycoproteins are appropriately glycosylated to allow strong binding to the selectins. Recently, more knowledge about the structure and the regulated expression of some of the carbohydrates on these ligands necessary for selectin binding has been accumulated. For at least one of these ligands, the physiological function is now well established. A novel and exciting aspect is the signaling function of the selectins and their ligands. Especially in the last two years, convincing data have been published supporting the idea that selectins and glycoprotein ligands of the selectins participate in the activation of leukocyte integrins.

Core 2 oligosaccharide biosynthesis distinguishes between selectin ligands essential for leukocyte homing and inflammation

Mammalian serine/threonine-linked oligosaccharides (O-glycans) are commonly synthesized with the Golgi enzyme core 2 beta-1,6-N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase (C2 GlcNAcT). Core 2 O-glycans have been hypothesized to be essential for mucin production and selectin ligand biosynthesis. We report that mice lacking C2 GlcNAcT exhibit a restricted phenotype with neutrophilia and a partial deficiency of selectin ligands. Loss of core 2 oligosaccharides reduces neutrophil rolling on substrata bearing E-, L-, and P-selectins and neutrophil recruitment to sites of inflammation. However, the diminished presence of L-selectin ligands on lymph node high endothelial venules does not affect lymphocyte homing. These studies indicate that core 2 oligosaccharide biosynthesis segregates the physiologic roles of selectins and reveal a function for the C2 GlcNAcT in myeloid homeostasis and inflammation.

Endogenous interleukin-10 regulates hemodynamic parameters, leukocyte-endothelial cell interactions, and microvascular permeability during endotoxemia

The objective of this study was to determine whether endogenous IL-10 is capable of regulating hemodynamic parameters, leukocyte recruitment, and microvascular permeability in response to endotoxin. Intravital microscopy was used to examine hemodynamic parameters, leukocyte rolling and adhesion, and microvascular permeability in cremasteric postcapillary venules in wild-type mice and in IL-10-deficient (IL-10(-/-)) mice exposed to lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Doses of LPS (3 or 30 microg/kg, IV), which did not reduce blood pressure and minimally altered microvascular hemodynamic factors in wild-type mice, caused significant reductions in these parameters in IL-10(-/-) mice, demonstrating at least a 10-fold increased sensitivity in IL-10(-/-) mice to LPS-induced hemodynamic alterations. Furthermore, in response to LPS (30 microg/kg, IV), leukocyte rolling, adhesion, and fluorescein isothiocyanate-albumin extravasation were increased in the IL-10(-/-) mice. Antibody blockade experiments showed that in both types of mice, leukocyte rolling was mediated by E-selectin and P-selectin. Leukocyte accumulation into other tissues, such as lung, also was enhanced greatly in IL-10(-/-) mice. This was specific to endotoxin, because acute chemotactic stimuli including N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine elicited similar responses in IL-10(-/-) and wild-type mice. These results suggest that endogenous IL-10 may be a homeostatic regulator of hemodynamic parameters, leukocyte-endothelial cell interactions, and microvascular dysfunction in response to endotoxin and provide potential mechanisms to explain the protective effect of IL-10 against LPS-induced mortality.

Transit time of leukocytes rolling through venules controls cytokine-induced inflammatory cell recruitment in vivo

Leukocyte recruitment requires leukocyte rolling, activation, firm adhesion, and transmigration. Injection of the proinflammatory cytokine TNF-alpha induces expression of E-selectin, interleukin-8, and other adhesion molecules and chemoattractants on the endothelial surface. TNF-alpha- treated CD18 null mouse cremaster muscle venules show increased leukocyte rolling velocity and reduced leukocyte recruitment efficiency. Leukocyte recruitment in CD18 null but not wild-type mice is significantly blocked by an mAb to E-selectin. To understand this overlap between adhesion events previously considered separate, we introduce a quantitative analysis of the efficiency of induction of rolling, conversion of rolling to adhesion, and of adhesion to transmigration. We find that CD18 and E-selectin cooperate to control the time a leukocyte needs to roll through an inflamed area and to convert rolling to firm adhesion. Leukocyte rolling time, defined as the time it takes for a rolling leukocyte to pass through a defined length of a vessel segment, emerges as a unifying parameter determining the efficiency of inducing firm adhesion, which is a rate-limiting step controlling leukocyte recruitment in inflammation. We conclude that leukocytes integrate chemoattractant signals while rolling along the endothelial surface until they reach a critical level of activation and become firmly adherent.

Overlapping Functions of E- and P-Selectin in Neutrophil Recruitment During Acute Inflammation

Selectin adhesion molecules mediate leukocyte rolling on activated endothelium, a prerequisite to leukocyte accumulation at sites of inflammation. The precise role of each selectin (E-, P-, and L-) in this process is unclear and may vary depending on the particular inflammatory stimulus, vascular bed, leukocyte subset, and species; most data suggest discrete functional roles for each selectin. To define the relative roles of E- and P-selectin in mediating neutrophil accumulation in acute dermal inflammation, mice genetically deficient in E-selectin, P-selectin, or both E- and P-selectin were injected intradermally with zymosan. Luminal endothelial expression of E- and P-selectin in response to zymosan was documented in wild-type mice by intravenous administration of fluorochrome-labeled anti–E- and anti–P-selectin antibodies. In mice deficient in E- or P-selectin, neutrophil accumulation was unchanged or only subtly reduced relative to wild-type control mice. In mice deficient in both E- and P-selectin, neutrophil accumulation was significantly reduced (87% at 4 hours and 79% at 8 hours). These data demonstrate that, in this model of acute inflammation, there is considerable overlap in the functions of E- and P-selectin; loss of both selectins was required to impair neutrophil accumulation.

Overlapping Functions of E- and P-Selectin in Neutrophil Recruitment During Acute Inflammation

Selectin adhesion molecules mediate leukocyte rolling on activated endothelium, a prerequisite to leukocyte accumulation at sites of inflammation. The precise role of each selectin (E-, P-, and L-) in this process is unclear and may vary depending on the particular inflammatory stimulus, vascular bed, leukocyte subset, and species; most data suggest discrete functional roles for each selectin. To define the relative roles of E- and P-selectin in mediating neutrophil accumulation in acute dermal inflammation, mice genetically deficient in E-selectin, P-selectin, or both E- and P-selectin were injected intradermally with zymosan. Luminal endothelial expression of E- and P-selectin in response to zymosan was documented in wild-type mice by intravenous administration of fluorochrome-labeled anti–E- and anti–P-selectin antibodies. In mice deficient in E- or P-selectin, neutrophil accumulation was unchanged or only subtly reduced relative to wild-type control mice. In mice deficient in both E- and P-selectin, neutrophil accumulation was significantly reduced (87% at 4 hours and 79% at 8 hours). These data demonstrate that, in this model of acute inflammation, there is considerable overlap in the functions of E- and P-selectin; loss of both selectins was required to impair neutrophil accumulation.

The Roles of L-Selectin, β7 Integrins, and P-Selectin in Leukocyte Rolling and Adhesion in High Endothelial Venules of Peyer’s Patches

Lymphocyte trafficking into Peyer’s patches requires β7 integrins and L-selectin. Here, we use intravital microscopy to examine leukocyte rolling and adhesion in Peyer’s patch high endothelial venules (HEV) of wild-type, L-selectin-deficient (L−/−), β7 integrin-deficient (β7−/−), and β7/L−/− mice. Although the leukocyte rolling flux fraction was reduced by 70%, Peyer’s patches in L−/− mice were of normal size and cellularity. In β7−/− mice, the rolling flux fraction was normal, but the number of adherent leukocytes in HEV was greatly reduced. The median leukocyte rolling velocity was reduced in L−/− mice and increased in β7−/− mice, suggesting that β7 integrins and L-selectin mediate rolling in Peyer’s patch HEV at different velocities. β7/L−/− exhibited both a low rolling flux fraction and low adhesion and had severely reduced Peyer’s patch size and cellularity. The residual rolling in these mice was completely blocked by a P-selectin mAb. A significant P-selectin component was also detected in the other genotypes. Twenty-six percent of B and T lymphocytes isolated from Peyer’s patches of wild-type mice expressed functional ligands for P-selectin, and this fraction was increased to 57% in β7/L−/− mice. Peyer’s patch HEV were found to express P-selectin under the conditions of intravital microscopy, but not in situ. Our data suggest a novel P-selectin dependent mechanism of lymphocyte homing to Peyer’s patches. In situ, β7 integrins and L-selectin account for all lymphocyte homing to Peyer’s patches, but P-selectin-dependent rolling, as induced by minimal trauma, may support trafficking of effector T lymphocytes to Peyer’s patches.

P-selectin blockade is beneficial after uncontrolled hemorrhagic shock

OBJECTIVES

The selectins play an important role in the neutrophil-mediated injury after hemorrhagic shock and resuscitation. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of P-selectin blockade after HS and resuscitation.

METHODS

Forty-eight Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to controlled combined with uncontrolled HS and resuscitation. Rats were divided into three groups (n = 16/group): (1) sham, no HS; (2) control, HS + resuscitation + drug vehicle; (3) treated, HS + anti-P-selectin monoclonal antibody. Transaminase levels to measure hepatocellular injury, liver myeloperoxidase to assess neutrophil infiltration, and histology were analyzed and compared between groups. Survival was followed for 3 days and was compared statistically.

RESULTS

Survival significantly increased from 30% in the control group to 70% in the treated group. Hepatocellular and structural injury as well as neutrophil infiltration were significantly decreased in treated animals.

CONCLUSION

Blockade of P-selectin resulted in decreased hepatocellular injury and increased survival in our model of uncontrolled HS. Selectins may be important therapeutic targets for blockade in the treatment of HS.

Importance of E-selectin for firm leukocyte adhesion in vivo

Leukocyte adhesion under flow is preferentially mediated by the selectins. In this study we used intravital microscopy to investigate whether E-selectin may promote firm leukocyte adhesion in vivo. E-Selectin is expressed by endothelial cells activated with tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and causes slow leukocyte rolling. Microinjection of formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (fMLP) or macrophage inflammatory protein-2 (MIP-2) next to a venule of the TNF-alpha-treated mouse cremaster muscle significantly increased the number of adherent leukocytes. In gene-targeted mice homozygous for a null mutation in the E-selectin gene or in wild-type mice treated with an E-selectin monoclonal antibody (mAb), this response was significantly attenuated (by >80%). No such defect was seen in intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1)-deficient mice. E-Selectin-null mice showed more rapid leukocyte rolling than wild-type or ICAM-1-deficient mice, resulting in significantly shortened leukocyte transit times through venules. Topical application of fMLP onto the whole cremaster muscle generated the same number of adherent leukocytes in wild-type and E-selectin-deficient mice. We conclude that slow leukocyte rolling through E-selectin results in long transit times, which are essential for efficient leukocyte adhesion in response to a local chemotactic stimulus.

Biomechanics of cell interactions in shear fields

Cellular interactions play a key role in diverse biological processes within the cardiovascular system. Targeting of leukocytes to sites of inflammation is viewed as a multistage process of sequential involvement of distinct adhesion molecules on the leukocyte and endothelial cell (EC) surface that is dictated by the local fluid dynamic environment. For neutrophils, the initial contact and rolling along the vessel wall are mediated primarily by selecting. Subsequent firm adhesion requires activation of neutrophil P, integrins and binding to their ligand ICAM-1 on the EC surface. The final step of this cascade of events includes neutrophil transmigration to extravascular tissue space. The neutrophil model of emigration in inflammation has been extended and refined to account for monocyte and T cell interactions with ECs. Platelet adhesion to thrombogenic surfaces (i.e. immobilized von Willebrand factor) under flow follows the general principles of leukocyte extravasation. More specifically, platelet glycoprotein (GP) Ib alpha appears to mediate an initial selectin-like tethering platelet-vWf interaction, followed by alpha II beta beta 3 integrin activation and firm adhesion. Some of the signaling mechanisms associated with cellular interactions in inflammatory and thrombotic processes are discussed. These basic principles are also discussed in the context of tissue engineering research.

Leukocyte L-selectin is up-regulated after mechanical trauma in adults

BACKGROUND

Infection and multiple organ failure remain the principal causes of late mortality after trauma despite advances in the resuscitation of injured patients. Because a better understanding of postinjury leukocyte trafficking is essential to the development of possible therapeutic measures aimed at preventing these complications, we have performed a study of one factor in the early posttrauma endothelial adhesion behavior of monocytes, lymphocytes, and neutrophils: their cell surface expression of L-selectin (CD62L). We have also studied the plasma levels of soluble L-selectin in these patients.

METHODS

Two venous blood samples were taken from each of 41 trauma patients at median times of 1 and 20 hours after injury. The study group included 16 patients with major (Injury Severity Score (ISS) > or = 16), 17 with moderate (ISS = 9-15), and 8 with minor (ISS < 9) trauma. Cell surface L-selectin was measured on leukocyte subsets by staining with specific fluorescent-labeled monoclonal antibodies to CD62L and using flow cytometry. Both the percentage of cells expressing the molecule and the mean channel fluorescence were measured. Levels of soluble L-selectin were measured in the plasma, sampled concurrently, by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

RESULTS

Monocytes, lymphocytes, and neutrophils all showed an early increase in cell surface L-selectin expression as measured by mean channel fluorescence (p < 0.0001, p < 0.001, and p < 0.0001, respectively), and this persisted in later samples taken at a median 20 hours after injury (p < 0.0001,p < 0.0001, and p < 0.01). Only monocytes showed an increased percentage of cells expressing the molecule in the early phase (p < 0.02), and this remained in the later phase (p < 0.001). Monocytes also showed a further significant increase in mean channel fluorescence (p < 0.02) between the two periods. No significant changes in levels of plasma soluble L-selectin were found at either stage.

CONCLUSION

An increase in the expression of L-selectin on each of three leukocyte populations has been demonstrated in the early phase after trauma. This would tend to promote rolling behavior of leukocytes and increase their contact with the vascular endothelium. There were marked differences in the later responses of the three populations, which may represent differential control of their behavior.

Optimal selectin-mediated rolling of leukocytes during inflammation in vivo requires intercellular adhesion molecule-1 expression

Leukocyte interactions with vascular endothelium during inflammation occur through discrete steps involving selectin-mediated leukocyte rolling and subsequent firm adhesion mediated by members of the integrin and Ig families of adhesion molecules. To identify functional synergy between selectin and Ig family members, mice deficient in both L-selectin and intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1) were generated. Leukocyte rolling velocities in cremaster muscle venules were increased significantly in ICAM-1-deficient mice during both trauma- and tumor necrosis factor alpha-induced inflammation, but rolling leukocyte flux was not reduced. Elimination of ICAM-1 expression in L-selectin-deficient mice resulted in a sharp reduction in the flux of rolling leukocytes during tumor necrosis factor alpha-induced inflammation. The observed differences in leukocyte rolling behavior demonstrated that ICAM-1 expression was required for optimal P- and L-selectin-mediated rolling. Increased leukocyte rolling velocities presumably translated into decreased tissue emigration because circulating neutrophil, monocyte, and lymphocyte numbers were increased markedly in L-selectin/ICAM-1-deficient mice. Furthermore, neutrophil emigration during acute peritonitis was reduced by 80% in the double-deficient mice compared with either L-selectin or ICAM-1-deficient mice. Thus, members of the selectin and Ig families function synergistically to mediate optimal leukocyte rolling in vivo, which is essential for the generation of effective inflammatory responses.

Gene-targeted mice reveal importance of L-selectin-dependent rolling for neutrophil adhesion

It has not been determined whether L-selectin-mediated rolling can promote leukocyte adhesion in vivo independent of P- and E-selectin. We used intravital microscopy of E- and P-selectin double-mutant mice (E-/P-) stimulated with tumor necrosis factor-alpha for 6-8 h to investigate the importance of L-selectin-dependent rolling in cremaster muscle venules. Rolling leukocyte flux in E-/P- mice was 9 +/- 2 cells/min compared with 77 +/- 17 cells/min in wild-type (WT) mice. Pretreatment with the L-selectin monoclonal antibody MEL-14 significantly reduced rolling in both E-/P- (by 89%) and WT mice (by 79%). L-selectin-dependent rolling in E-/P- mice resulted in leukocyte adhesion comparable to that seen in WT mice. MEL-14 pretreatment of E-/P- mice reduced leukocyte adhesion by 50%. The majority (approximately 80%) of intravascular leukocytes in both WT and E-/P- mice were neutrophils. We conclude that L-selectin can mediate rolling that results in sufficient leukocyte recruitment to account for the robust inflammatory response seen in E-/P- mice at later times.

Characteristics of histamine-induced leukocyte rolling in the undisturbed microcirculation of the rat mesentery

1. The main objective of this study was to analyse the role and mode of action of the mast cell mediator histamine in leukocyte-endothelium interactions in small venules in vivo. For this purpose, we used a histological approach (combined with intravital microscopy) that allows studies of rapid mediator-induced venular leukocyte accumulation, reflecting leukocyte rolling, in the undisturbed microcirculation of the rat mesentery where rolling is normally absent. 2. We first examined the relative importance of histamine and 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) in acute mast cell-dependent leukocyte recruitment. The mast cell secretagogue compound 48/80 (i.p. for 15 min) induced a marked venular accumulation of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNL) which was almost abolished by combined histamine1 (H1)- and histamine2 (H2)-receptor blockade. In contrast, the 5-HT-receptor antagonist methysergide was inactive in this regard. Moreover, exogenous 5-HT was less active than exogenous histamine in evoking venular PMNL accumulation (histamine response dose-dependent; 5-HT response bell shaped). Prostaglandin D2 did not cause PMNL accumulation. 3. The venular PMNL response to exogenous histamine peaked between 15 min and 1 h, was still significantly elevated at 2 h, and then returned to prechallenge values after 3 h. At all time points, the histamine-induced PMNL accumulation was nearly abolished by i.v. treatment with the polysaccharide fucoidin (which blocks rolling but not firm adhesion per se), suggesting that the PMNL response to histamine was due to rolling rather than firm adhesion over the entire 3 h period. At no time point did histamine trigger accumulation of mononuclear leukocytes (MNL). 4. To examine the role of histamine-receptors in the histamine-induced PMNL accumulation (i.e. rolling), the animals were pretreated with diphenhydramine (H1-receptor antagonist), cimetidine, or ranitidine (H2-receptor antagonists). Diphenhydramine alone inhibited the venular PMNL response to histamine by 52%, while both H2-receptor antagonists were completely inactive. However, the combination of cimetidine and diphenhydramine reduced the histamine-induced PMNL rolling by 82%. Furthermore, in contrast to an H3-receptor agonist, challenge with either the H1-receptor agonist 2-thiazolylethylamine or two different H2-receptor agonists (impromidine, dimaprit) was sufficient to provoke significant venular PMNL accumulation. 5. Treatment with the nitric oxide-synthase inhibitor L-NAME did not affect the histamine-induced PMNL rolling. On the other hand, 3 h pretreatment with dexamethasone reduced the PMNL response to histamine by 73%, and flow cytometric analysis showed that the dexamethasone treatment almost completely inhibited binding of soluble P-selectin to rat isolated PMNLs. 6. We conclude that initial leukocyte recruitment after mast cell activation in the rat mesentery is critically dependent on histamine release. The cellular response to histamine was specifically due to PMNL rolling, involved activation of both H1- and H2-receptors, and lasted for 2 3 h. Moreover, the histamine-induced PMNL rolling was not dependent on nitric oxide synthesis, but was sensitive to glucocorticoid treatment, possibly via inhibition of expression or function of leukocytic P-selectin ligand(s).

Sialyl Lewisx (sLex) and an sLexMimetic, CGP69669A, Disrupt E-Selectin–Dependent Leukocyte Rolling In Vivo

Leukocyte rolling is the earliest observable event in their recruitment from the circulation to inflamed tissue. This rolling is mediated largely by interaction between the selectin family of adhesion molecules and their glycosylated ligands. Although the nature of these ligands and their interaction with the selectins is not fully understood, it is accepted that expression of fucosylated sialylated glycans such as sialyl Lewisx (sLex) is required for function. Despite findings that sLex inhibits binding of leukocytes to E-selectin in vitro, and has beneficial effects in inflammatory disease models, inhibition of E-selectin–dependent leukocyte rolling in vivo has not been described. Functional overlap between the selectins has been noted and reduction of rolling by E-selectin antibodies only occurs if P-selectin is absent or blocked. We demonstrate that leukocyte rolling velocity in tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα)-stimulated mouse cremaster is increased following treatment with either sLex or the sLex-mimetic CGP69669A and that rolling is dramatically reduced if CGP69669A is applied in the presence of anti–P-selectin antibody. These effects are characteristic of E-selectin antagonism. In contrast, surgically stimulated (L- or P-selectin–dependent) rolling is unaffected by either sLex or CGP69669A. Our data demonstrate that CGP69669A is an effective and selective antagonist of E-selectin in vivo.

Sialyl Lewisx (sLex) and an sLexMimetic, CGP69669A, Disrupt E-Selectin–Dependent Leukocyte Rolling In Vivo

Leukocyte rolling is the earliest observable event in their recruitment from the circulation to inflamed tissue. This rolling is mediated largely by interaction between the selectin family of adhesion molecules and their glycosylated ligands. Although the nature of these ligands and their interaction with the selectins is not fully understood, it is accepted that expression of fucosylated sialylated glycans such as sialyl Lewisx (sLex) is required for function. Despite findings that sLex inhibits binding of leukocytes to E-selectin in vitro, and has beneficial effects in inflammatory disease models, inhibition of E-selectin–dependent leukocyte rolling in vivo has not been described. Functional overlap between the selectins has been noted and reduction of rolling by E-selectin antibodies only occurs if P-selectin is absent or blocked. We demonstrate that leukocyte rolling velocity in tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα)-stimulated mouse cremaster is increased following treatment with either sLex or the sLex-mimetic CGP69669A and that rolling is dramatically reduced if CGP69669A is applied in the presence of anti–P-selectin antibody. These effects are characteristic of E-selectin antagonism. In contrast, surgically stimulated (L- or P-selectin–dependent) rolling is unaffected by either sLex or CGP69669A. Our data demonstrate that CGP69669A is an effective and selective antagonist of E-selectin in vivo.

Inhibitory effect of locally administered heparin on leukocyte rolling and chemoattractant-induced firm adhesion in rat mesenteric venules in vivo

1. Anti-inflammatory actions of heparin and related glycosaminoglycans have been described in the literature. Here, we used intravital microscopy of the rat mesentery microcirculation to examine effects of locally administered heparin on leukocyte rolling and chemoattractant-induced firm adhesion. 2. It was found that topical application of heparin reduced N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (fMLP)-induced leukocyte adhesion. Notably, the inhibitory action of heparin was not dose-dependent, but rather a biphasic dose-response was found, i.e. low (2 and 20 iu ml(-1)) and high (1000 iu ml(-1)) concentrations of heparin significantly reduced adhesion, whereas an intermediate dose (200 iu ml(-1)) was less effective. 3. Heparin, 2 and 20 iu ml(-1), decreased rolling leukocyte flux, while having no effect on blood flow or total leukocyte flux. By contrast, heparin, 200 and 1000 iu ml(-1), increased total leukocyte flux in parallel with a rise in volume blood flow resulting in recovery of the rolling leukocyte flux at these doses. Thus, the biphasic inhibitory action of heparin on fMLP-induced firm adhesion could in part be attributed to changes in leukocyte delivery (i.e. blood flow) and rolling leukocyte flux induced by heparin. 4. When compensating for the influence of different rolling levels on fMLP-evoked adhesion, a dose-related inhibitory effect of heparin on the firm adhesive response per se was revealed. Similar results were obtained in a static adhesion assay in vitro where heparin 200 and 1000 iu ml(-1) (but not 2 and 20 iu ml(-1)) significantly inhibited fMLP-induced leukocyte adhesion in the absence of any modulatory influence on changes in rolling. 5. Our data show that locally administered heparin inhibits leukocyte rolling as well as chemoattractant-induced firm adhesion in vivo which thus may contribute to the postulated anti-inflammatory activity of this compound. However, because of interference with several microvascular functions, strict dose-dependent responses to heparin treatment were not found, which illustrates the complex interplay between local blood flow, leukocyte rolling and chemoattractant-induced adhesion as determinants of leukocyte recruitment to tissues in inflammation.

Early white blood cell dynamics after traumatic brain injury: effects on the cerebral microcirculation

Increasing clinical and experimental evidence suggests that traumatic brain injury (TBI) elicits an acute inflammatory response. In the present study we investigated whether white blood cells (WBC) are activated in the cerebral microcirculation early after TBI and whether WBC accumulation affects the posttraumatic cerebrovascular response. Twenty-four anesthetized rabbits had chronic cranial windows implanted 3 weeks before experimentation. Animals were divided into four experimental groups and were studied for 7 hours (groups I, IIa, and III) or 2 hours (group IIb). Intravital fluorescence videomicroscopy was used to visualize WBC (rhodamine 6G, intravenously), pial vessel diameters, and blood-brain barrier (BBB) integrity (Na+-fluorescein) at 6 hours (groups I, IIa, and III) or 1 hour (group IIb) after TBI. Group I (n = 5) consisted of sham-operated animals. Groups IIa (n = 7) and IIb (n = 5) received fluid-percussion injury at 1 hour. Group III (n = 7) received fluid-percussion injury and 1 mg/kg anti-adhesion monoclonal antibody (MoAb) "IB4" 5 minutes before injury. Venular WBC sticking, intracranial pressure (ICP), and arterial vessel diameters increased significantly for 6 hours after trauma. IB4 reduced WBC margination and prevented vasodilation. Intracranial pressure was not reduced by treatment with IB4. Blood-brain barrier damage occurred at 1 hour but not at 6 hours after TBI and was independent of WBC activation. This first report using intravital videomicroscopy to study the inflammatory response after TBI reveals upregulated interaction between WBC and cerebral endothelium that can be manipulated pharmacologically. White blood cell activation is associated with pial arteriolar vasodilation. White blood cells do not induce BBB breakdown less than 6 hours after TBI and do not contribute to posttraumatic ICP elevation. The role of WBC more than 6 hours after TBI should be investigated further.

Role of E- and P-selectin in migration of monocytes and polymorphonuclear leucocytes to cytokine and chemoattractant-induced cutaneous inflammation in the rat

The contribution of E- and P-selectin in the rat to the migration of polymorphonuclear leucocytes (PMNL) and monocytes to acute dermal inflammation induced by a chemoattractant (C5ades Arg) or endothelial cell activating agents [lipopolysaccharide, tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), alpha-thrombin and interferon-gamma] administered intradermally was investigated. Migration was quantitated using radiolabelled blood PMNL and monocytes and new, function-blocking monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) to rat E- and P-selectin were employed. Monocyte migration to inflamed skin was partially inhibited (40-75%) by P-selectin mAb with all stimuli tested, but not by anti-E-selectin. PMNL migration in response to all stimuli was also inhibited (50-75%) by blocking P-selectin, but in contrast to monocytes, PMNL accumulation was partially inhibited by mAb to E-selectin in alpha-thrombin and TNF-alpha lesions. When P-selectin was blocked by mAb, mAb to E-selectin significantly inhibited further (by 70-90%) both PMNL and monocyte accumulation in all lesions, indicating that both P- and E-selectin contribute to the migration of these leucocytes. Blocking L-selectin in addition to P- and E-selectin, had no effect on the remaining migration. Thus, optimal PMNL and monocyte migration to chemotactic factor- and cytokine-induced skin inflammation is P-selectin dependent. E-selectin becomes important, in most conditions used here, when P-selectin mediated recruitment is not operative. A selectin independent pathway likely mediates up to 20% of PMNL and monocyte migration to acute inflammation, at least in skin.

Endothelial cell adhesion molecule expression in gene-targeted mice

Gene-targeted mice are now routinely employed as tools for defining the contribution of different leukocyte and endothelial cell adhesion molecules to the leukocyte recruitment and tissue injury associated with acute and chronic inflammation. The objective of this study was to determine whether gene-targeted mice that are deficient in CD11/CD18, intracellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), or P-selectin exhibit an altered constitutive or induced expression of the endothelial cell adhesion molecules E- and P-selectin. The gene-targeted mice were all developed in the 129Sv mouse strain and backcrossed into C57B1/6J mice. The number of backcrosses ranged between 8 (P-selectin) and 10 (CD18 and ICAM-1) generations. The dual-radiolabeled monoclonal antibody technique was used to quantify E- and P-selectin expression in different vascular beds. In the unstimulated state, E-selectin expression was significantly elevated (relative to wild-type mice) in the stomach, large intestine, and brain of mutants deficient in ICAM-1. In general, constitutive expression of P-selectin did not differ between wild-type, ICAM-1-deficient, and CD11/CD18-deficient mutants. In CD11/CD18-deficient mice, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) administration elicited a more profound upregulation of P-selectin in several vascular beds, compared with wild-type and ICAM-1-deficient mice. E-selectin expression in brain of TNF-alpha-stimulated, ICAM-1-deficient, and P-selectin-deficient mice was attenuated compared with wild-type mice. These findings indicate that chronic deficiency of some of the adhesion glycoproteins that mediate leukocyte recruitment alters basal and induced surface expression of other adhesion molecules on endothelial cells.

Exacerbation of cerebral injury in mice that express the P-selectin gene: identification of P-selectin blockade as a new target for the treatment of stroke

There is currently a stark therapeutic void in the treatment of evolving stroke. Although P-selectin is rapidly expressed by hypoxic endothelial cells in vitro, the functional significance of P-selectin expression in stroke remains unexplored. In order to identify the pathophysiological consequences of P-selectin expression and to identify P-selectin blockade as a potential new approach for the treatment of stroke, experiments were performed using a murine model of focal cerebral ischemia and reperfusion. Early P-selectin expression in the postischemic cerebral cortex was demonstrated by the specific accumulation of radiolabeled anti-murine P-selectin IgG, with the increased P-selectin expression localized to the ipsilateral cerebral microvascular endothelial cells by immunohistochemistry. In experiments designed to test the functional significance of increased P-selectin expression in stroke, neutrophil accumulation in the ischemic cortex of mice expressing the P-selectin gene (PS +/+) was demonstrated to be significantly greater than that in homozygous P-selectin-null mice (PS -/-). Reduced neutrophil influx was accompanied by greater postischemic cerebral reflow (measured by laser Doppler) in the PS -/- mice. In addition, PS -/- mice demonstrated smaller infarct volumes (5-fold reduction, P<.05) and improved survival compared with PS +/+ mice (88% versus 44%, P<.05). Functional blockade of P-selectin in PS +/+ mice using a monoclonal antibody directed against murine P-selectin also improved early reflow and stroke outcome compared with control mice, with reduced cerebral infarction volumes noted even when the blocking antibody was administered after occlusion of the middle cerebral artery. These data are the first to demonstrate a pathophysiological role for P-selectin in stroke and suggest that P-selectin blockade may represent a new therapeutic target in the treatment of stroke.

The P-Selectin Glycoprotein Ligand-1 Is Important for Recruitment of Neutrophils Into Inflamed Mouse Peritoneum

The P-selectin glycoprotein ligand-1 (PSGL-1) is a high-affinity ligand of P-selectin on myeloid cells and certain subsets of lymphoid cells. We generated the rat monoclonal antibody (MoAb) 2PH1 that recognizes an epitope within the first 19 amino acids at the N-terminus of the processed form of mouse PSGL-1. This antibody blocks attachment of mouse myeloid cells to P-selectin under both static and flow conditions. Intravenous administration of saturating amounts of 2PH1 reduced the number of rolling leukocytes in venules of the acutely exposed mouse cremaster muscle by 79% (±5.7%), whereas an anti–P-selectin MoAb reduced it completely. Examining the effect of the MoAb 2PH1 on the recruitment of neutrophils into chemically inflamed mouse peritoneum showed that blocking PSGL-1 inhibited neutrophil accumulation in the peritoneum by 82% (±7%) at 2 hours and by 59% (±7.9%) at 4 hours after stimulation. A similar effect was seen with the MoAb against P-selectin. Simultaneous administration of both antibodies at the 4-hour time point blocked neutrophil accumulation by 86% (±4.2%), arguing for an additional partner molecule for PSGL-1 besides P-selectin. This is the first demonstration of the importance of PSGL-1 in the recruitment of mouse neutrophils into inflamed tissue.

Microvascular responses to cerebral ischemia/inflammation

Experimental occlusion of a brain-supplying artery triggers tissue ischemia and subsequent inflammatory events that are initiated at the blood microvessel interface. Cytokine production and molecular adhesive events occur in the early moments following cerebral blood flow reduction, which underlie the transition from ischemic to inflammatory injury. Events both within the microvascular lumen and in the immediately surrounding tissue are involved. Cytokines, including TNF-alpha, IL-1 beta, IL-6, and PAF, are produced from the ischemic parenchyma and contribute to the endothelial cell expression of P-selectin, ICAM-1, and E-selectin. Platelet activation occurs paris passu and probably involves alpha-granule P-selectin to mediate PMN leukocyte-platelet interactions. Other integrin heterodimers are also involved in the early microvascular responses to ischemia. The response of the basal lamina and ECM is somewhat slower, entailing yet unproven mechanisms that most probably include the proteolytic processes of leukocyte transmigration. The modifications to microvascular structure are likely to affect both endothelial and astrocyte relationships, promote erythrocyte extravasation and hemorrhage, and contribute to tissue injury. Remodeling of the microvasculature, apparent in other tissues, involves a number of these processes. However, the enzymatic participants and regulating mechanisms are coming under study: the unraveling of regulatory mechanisms of adhesion receptor expression and their modulation, and the companion roles of integrins as mediators of structural integrity and intercellular signaling.

A minimal role for selectins in the recruitment of leukocytes into the inflamed liver microvasculature

A two-step paradigm for leukocyte recruitment has been established in a number of tissues including the mesentery, skin, and muscle, and necessitates an initial rolling step via the selectins before firm leukocyte adhesion via the integrins. In view of the many inflammatory diseases that involve the liver, we investigated the importance of rolling and the selectins in the hepatic microvasculature and compared the responses to that of the commonly used mesentery or cremaster microvasculature. We visualized the liver microvasculature using intravital microscopy and we determined that within the liver the majority of leukocytes adhere within the sinusoids (80%) in response to a chemotactic stimulus such as FMLP (20% in postsinusoidal venules) whereas leukocytes adhere exclusively within postcapillary venules in tissue like the mouse cremaster. In the sinusoids, the adhesive response to FMLP is not dependent upon selectins inasmuch as adhesion was not reduced in the sinusoidal vessels of P-selectin-deficient mice or E-selectin/P-selectin- deficient animals in the presence or absence of L-selectin antibody. No rolling or adhesion was detected in response to FMLP in the selectin-deficient cremaster microvasculature. Immunoneutralization of selectins with fucoidan in wildtype mice eliminated rolling and adhesion in the cremaster but failed to affect adhesion in the liver sinusoids in response to FMLP. More long-term leukocyte recruitment with lipopolysaccharide (4 h) was also impaired in the cremaster but not the liver microvasculature in selectin-deficient animals. Leukocyte adhesion in the sinusoids was reduced in P-selectin-deficient mice also lacking intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1). This study for the first time demonstrates that selectins are not an essential step for leukocyte recruitment into the inflamed liver microvasculature.

Leukocyte adhesion in angiogenic blood vessels. Role of E-selectin, P-selectin, and beta2 integrin in lymphotoxin-mediated leukocyte recruitment in tumor microvessels

Interaction of circulating leukocytes with tumor microvasculature is a critical event in the recruitment of effector cells into the tumor stroma. We have examined the ability of lymphotoxin (TNF-beta), to stimulate rolling, adhesion, and transmigration of leukocytes in angiogenic blood vessels induced by tumor spheroids of Lewis lung carcinoma (LLC) implanted in dorsal skinfold chambers of nude mice. In the absence of cytokine stimulation, circulating leukocytes failed to appreciably interact with tumor microvessels (TMV), although significant rolling and adhesion was observed in normal vessels. However, stimulation with lymphotoxin (LT) resulted in a rapid increase in the number of fast and slow rolling leukocytes in TMV. Treatment with anti-P-selectin mAb 5H1 resulted in inhibition of fast rollers alone, while combination treatment with anti-P-selectin and anti-E-selectin (9A9) mAbs effectively blocked slow rolling of leukocytes. Superfusion of the lymphotoxin-stimulated neovasculature with leukotriene B4 (LTB4) resulted in stable cell adhesion followed by emigration of leukocytes into the tumor stroma. LTB4-mediated adhesion and transmigration was significantly inhibited by treatment with anti-beta2 mAb 2E6. These studies delineate a multistep cascade of leukocyte adhesion in TMV and demonstrate that stimulation of the neovasculature with cytokines and chemoattractants can result in P- and E-selectin-dependent rolling and beta2-dependent stable adhesion followed by transmigration into the tumor stroma.

Differential Effect of E-Selectin Antibodies on Neutrophil Rolling and Recruitment to Inflammatory Sites

The selectins are inducible adhesion molecules critically important for the inflammatory response. We investigate here the functional effects of three monoclonal antibodies (MoAbs) raised against murine E-selectin (9A9, 10E6, and 10E9.6) on neutrophil recruitment in vivo, leukocyte rolling and circulating leukocyte concentrations in vivo, and adhesion of myeloid cells to E-selectin transfectants and recombinant E-selectin–IgG fusion protein in vitro. MoAbs 9A9 and 10E6 map to the lectin and epidermal growth factor (EGF)-like domains of murine E-selectin, whereas 10E9.6 binds to the consensus repeat region. 10E9.6 blocked neutrophil recruitment in a model of thioglycollate-induced peritonitis in Balb/c mice by more than 90% but had no effect in C57BL/6 mice. 9A9 and 10E6 blocked neutrophil recruitment in this assay only when combined with a P-selectin antibody, 5H1. Neither 9A9 nor 10E9.6 alone blocked leukocyte rolling in tumor necrosis factor-α–treated venules of Balb/c mice, but 9A9 almost completely inhibited leukocyte rolling when combined with the function-blocking murine P-selectin MoAb, RB40.34. In contrast, 10E9.6 had no effect on leukocyte rolling in RB40.34-treated Balb/c or C57BL/6 mice. 10E9.6 did not affect adhesion of myeloid cells to E-selectin transfectants or attachment, rolling, and detachment of myeloid cells to murine E-selectin–IgG fusion protein. However, adhesion was completely blocked in the same assays by 9A9. Taken together, these results indicate that E-selectin serves a function, other than rolling, that appears to be critically important for neutrophil recruitment to inflammatory sites in Balb/c mice.

The association between alpha4-integrin, P-selectin, and E-selectin in an allergic model of inflammation

In this study, we examined the relationship between the endothelial selectins (P-selectin and E-selectin) and whether they are critical for alpha4-integrin-dependent leukocyte recruitment in inflamed (late phase response), cremasteric postcapillary venules. Animals were systemically sensitized and 2 wk later challenged intrascrotally with chicken ovalbumin. Leukocyte rolling flux, adhesion, and emigration were assessed at baseline and 4 and 8 h postantigen challenge. There was a significant increase in leukocyte rolling flux, adhesion, and emigration in sensitized and challenged mice at both 4 and 8 h. At 8 h, the increase in leukocyte rolling flux was approximately 50% inhibitable by an anti-alpha4-integrin antibody, 98% inhibitable by fucoidin (a selectin-binding carbohydrate), and 100% inhibitable by an anti-P-selectin antibody. P-selectin-deficient animals displayed no leukocyte rolling or adhesion at 8 h after challenge. However, at 8 h there were many emigrated leukocytes in the perivascular space suggesting P-selectin-independent rolling at an earlier time point. Indeed, at 4 h postantigen challenge in P-selectin-deficient mice, there was increased leukocyte rolling, adhesion, and emigration. The rolling in the P-selectin-deficient mice at 4 h was largely alpha4-integrin dependent. However, there was an essential E-selectin-dependent component inasmuch as an anti-E-selectin antibody completely reversed the rolling, and in E-selectin and P-selectin double deficient mice rolling, adhesion and emigration were completely absent. These results illustrate that P-selectin underlies all of the antigen-induced rolling with a brief transient contribution from E-selectin in the P-selectin-deficient animals. Finally, the antigen-induced alpha4-integrin-mediated leukocyte recruitment is entirely dependent upon endothelial selectins.

Hepatic leukostasis and hypoxic stress in adhesion molecule-deficient mice after gut ischemia/reperfusion

The concept that leukocyte-endothelial cell adhesion (LECA) is a major determinant of the tissue injury elicited by ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) is largely based on studies employing adhesion molecule-specific monoclonal antibodies. The objective of this study was to assess the contribution of LECA to I/R injury using mutant mice (all on a C57B1 background) that are deficient in either intracellular adhesion molecule-1, P-selectin, or CD11/CD18. The accumulation of fluorescently labeled leukocytes and the number of nonperfused sinusoids in livers of control and adhesion molecule-deficient mice were monitored by intravital microscopy for 1 h after release of the occluded (for 15 min) superior mesenteric artery. Autofluorescence of pyridine nucleotide (NADH) was measured as an indicator of mitochondrial O2 consumption and redox status. The number of stationary leukocytes in the liver after gut I/R was significantly elevated compared with baseline values in C57B1 (control) mice. Autofluorescence of NADH was also significantly increased (indicating hypoxia) after I/R in these mice, especially in the pericentral region. Intercellular adhesion molecule-1-, CD11/CD18-, and P-selectin-deficient mice all exhibited a blunted leukosequestration response to I/R and smaller increments in nonperfused sinusoids, relative to C57B1 mice. All adhesion molecule-deficient mice also exhibited an attenuated increment in NADH autofluorescence in the pericentral region, relative to control mice. These results from adhesion molecule-deficient mice provide additional support for the view that LECA is an important determinant of the liver dysfunction induced by gut I/R.

Threshold levels of fluid shear promote leukocyte adhesion through selectins (CD62L,P,E)

Leukocyte adhesion through L-selectin to peripheral node addressin (PNAd, also known as MECA-79 antigen), an L-selectin ligand expressed on high endothelial venules, has been shown to require a minimum level of fluid shear stress to sustain rolling interactions (Finger, E.B., K.D. Puri, R. Alon, M.B. Lawrence, V.H. von Andrian, and T.A. Springer. 1996. Nature (Lond.). 379:266-269). Here, we show that fluid shear above a threshold of 0.5 dyn/cm2 wall shear stress significantly enhances HL-60 myelocyte rolling on P- and E-selectin at site densities of 200/microm2 and below. In addition, gravitational force is sufficient to detach HL-60 cells from P- and E-selectin substrates in the absence, but not in the presence, of flow. It appears that fluid shear-induced torque is critical for the maintenance of leukocyte rolling. K562 cells transfected with P-selectin glycoprotein ligand-1, a ligand for P-selectin, showed a similar reduction in rolling on P-selectin as the wall shear stress was lowered below 0.5 dyn/cm2. Similarly, 300.19 cells transfected with L-selectin failed to roll on PNAd below this level of wall shear stress, indicating that the requirement for minimum levels of shear force is not cell type specific. Rolling of leukocytes mediated by the selectins could be reinitiated within seconds by increasing the level of wall shear stress, suggesting that fluid shear did not modulate receptor avidity. Intravital microscopy of cremaster muscle venules indicated that the leukocyte rolling flux fraction was reduced at blood centerline velocities less than 1 mm/s in a model in which rolling is mediated by L- and P-selectin. Similar observations were made in L-selectin-deficient mice in which leukocyte rolling is entirely P-selectin dependent. Leukocyte adhesion through all three selectins appears to be significantly enhanced by a threshold level of fluid shear stress.

Animal lectins

Protein and lipid glycosylation is no longer considered as a topic whose appeal is restricted to a limited number of analytical experts perseveringly pursuing the comprehensive cataloguing of structural variants. It is in fact arousing curiosity in various areas of basic and applied bioscience. Well founded by the conspicuous coding potential of the sugar part of cellular glycoconjugates which surpasses the storage capacity of oligonucleotide- or oligopeptide-based code systems, recognition of distinct oligosaccharide ligands by endogenous receptors, i.e. lectins and sugar-binding enzymes or antibodies, is increasingly being discovered to play salient roles in animal physiology. Having inevitably started with a descriptive stage, research on animal lectins has now undubitably reached maturity. Besides listing the current categories for lectin classification and providing presentations of the individual families and their presently delineated physiological significance, this review places special emphasis on tracing common structural and functional themes which appear to reverberate in nominally separated lectin and animal categories as well as lines of research which may come to fruition for medical sciences.

Variation in the velocity, deformation, and adhesion energy density of leukocytes rolling within venules

Leukocyte rolling along the endothelium in inflammation is caused by continuous formation and breakage of bonds between selectin adhesion molecules and their ligands. We investigated trauma-induced leukocyte rolling in venules (diameter, 23 to 58 microns; wall shear stress, 1.2 to 35 dyne/cm2) of the exteriorized rat mesentery using high-resolution intravital microscopy. While rolling, the leukocytes deformed into a tear-droplike shape. Deformation continued to increase with shear stress up to the highest values observed (35 dyne/cm2). Successive leukocytes had similar rolling velocities at the same axial positions along each vessel, suggesting that heterogeneity of endothelial adhesiveness is responsible for velocity variation. Adhesion energy density varied inversely with instantaneous rolling velocity and directly with instantaneous deformation. Adhesion energy density reached a maximum of 0.36 dyne/cm, similar to values found for lymphocyte function-associated antigen-1-dependent adhesion of stimulated T cells to isolated intercellular adhesion molecule-1. We conclude that selectin-mediated adhesion during rolling produces adhesion energy densities comparable to those observed for integrin-mediated adhesion events in other experimental systems.

Distinct phenotype of E-selectin-deficient mice. E-selectin is required for slow leukocyte rolling in vivo

Leukocyte capture and rolling are mediated by calcium-dependent lectins expressed on most leukocytes (L-selectin) and the vascular endothelium (P- and E-selectin). To study the role of the selectins during inflammation, we have investigated leukocyte rolling in venules of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha)-treated mouse cremaster muscles in wild-type mice and gene-targeted mice with homozygous deficiency for L-, P-, or E-selectin (L-/-, P-/-, or E-/-, respectively). TNF-alpha treatment induces expression of E-selectin and increases expression of P-selectin on endothelial cells. Consistent with previous reports of redundant P- and E-selectin function, a combination of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against P- and E-selectin (RB40.34 and 9A9, respectively) was necessary to block rolling in wild-type mice. The rolling leukocyte flux fraction (percent rolling cells) in L-/- mice was similar to that in wild-type mice, but rolling in these mice was blocked by a P-selectin mAb. The velocity of rolling leukocytes in TNF-alpha-treated wild-type, P-/-, or L-/- mice was 5 to 10 times slower (3 to 7 microns/s) than during trauma-induced rolling (20 to 50 microns/s). In contrast, leukocytes in venules of TNF-alpha-treated E-/- mice rolled significantly faster (12 to 20 microns/s): the rolling leukocyte flux fraction was more than doubled compared with wild-type, L-/-, or P-/- mice; and the number of adherent leukocytes was reduced. Addition of an E-selectin mAb, but not a P-selectin mAb, increased rolling flux fraction and rolling velocity in wild-type mice. Histological analysis revealed that 90% to 95% of all leukocytes interacting (rolling and adherent) with the venular endothelium in TNF-alpha-treated wild-type, L-/-, P-/-, and E-/- mice were granulocytes. These results identify a previously unrecognized phenotype of E-/- mice by establishing that at the site densities prevailing in vivo, E-selectin in responsible for slow (approximately 5 microns/s) granulocyte rolling. E-selectin-dependent slow rolling drastically increases the transit time of leukocytes rolling through an inflamed tissue and thus aids in targeting leukocytes activated by chemoattractants to the inflammatory microenvironment.