Protein kinase C-independent activation of Raf-1 and mitogen-activated protein kinase by leukotriene B4 in guinea pig eosinophils

Gene delivery by dendrimers operates via different pathways in different cells, but is enhanced by the presence of caveolin

In order to optimise and improve the efficacy of transfection mediated by dendrimers, it is essential to fully understand the mechanisms of cell entry and intracellular trafficking by these complexes. Previously, we have shown that gene delivery by dendrimers is dependent from cholesterol and membrane rafts. The inhibition of transfection by treatment with filipin III suggested that gene delivery might be occurring by a caveolin-dependent pathway. We therefore investigated the internalisation and transfection properties of dendriplexes using cell lines (HeLa and HepG2) that express few caveolae. We show that, in contrast to other cells, cholesterol depletion does not affect the ability of dendriplexes to transfect these cells. Inhibition of clathrin-independent, phagocytic and macropinocytic pathways also failed to inhibit transfection of these cells and endothelial cells. However, overexpression of caveolin 1 resulted in an increased rate of dendriplex uptake into HeLa, HepG2 and endothelial cells, and increased transfection efficiency. Furthermore, in endothelial cells, confocal microscopy demonstrated colocalisation of dendriplexes and caveolin 1. These data highlight that dendriplexes may use different internalisation pathways in different cells, and that caveolae form a preferential route for gene delivery by this non-viral vector.

Syk activation is a leukotriene B4-regulated event involved in macrophage phagocytosis of IgG-coated targets but not apoptotic cells

Macrophages are called upon to ingest both IgG-coated targets and apoptotic cells. Important roles for tyrosine kinase Syk and leukotriene B4 (LTB4) are recognized in FcgammaR-mediated phagocytosis. Here we evaluated the roles of Syk and LTB4 in macrophage phagocytosis of apoptotic thymocytes versus IgG-coated erythrocytes. Macrophage ingestion of apoptotic thymocytes was not influenced by exogenous or endogenous LTB4 nor associated with Syk activation (phosphorylation). By contrast, LTB4 dose-dependently amplified FcgammaR-mediated phagocytosis as well as Syk activation. Furthermore, a role for endogenous LTB4 in Syk activation during FcgammaR-mediated phagocytosis was demonstrated using pharmacologic and genetic abrogation of 5-lipoxygenase. LTB4 was unique among 5-lipoxygenase products in this regard, since LTD4 and 5-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (HETE) were unable to amplify Syk activation in response to FcgammaR engagement. Ca2+ chelation studies revealed that FcgammaR-mediated Syk activation as well as LTB4 amplification thereof was Ca2+ regulated. These 2 parallel phagocytic processes therefore exhibit initial divergence in signal transduction events, with Syk activation being an LTB4-regulated event in FcgammaR-mediated but not apoptotic cell ingestion. As LTB4 is an important proinflammatory product of macrophages, we speculate that this divergence evolved to permit FcgammaR-mediated phagocytosis to proceed in an inflammatory milieu, while apoptotic cell clearance is noninflammatory.

Leukotriene B(4) stimulates Rac-ERK cascade to generate reactive oxygen species that mediates chemotaxis

Leukotriene B(4) is a potent chemoattractant known to be involved mainly in inflammation, immune responses, and host defense against infection, although the exact signaling mechanisms by which it exerts its effects are not well understood. Here we show that exogenous leukotriene B(4) induces reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation via a Rac-dependent pathway, and that stable expression of Rac(N17), a dominant negative Rac1 mutant, completely blocks leukotriene B(4)-induced ROS generation. In addition, leukotriene B(4)-induced ROS generation is selectively blocked by inhibition of ERK or cytosolic phospholipase A(2), but not p38 kinase, which is indicative of its dependence on ERK activation and synthesis of arachidonic acid. Consistent with those findings, leukotriene B(4) Rac-dependently stimulates ERK and cytosolic phospholipase A(2) activity, and transient transfection with plasmid expressing Rac(V12), a constitutively activated Rac1 mutant, also dose-dependently stimulates ERK activity. Our findings suggest that ERK and cytosolic phospholipase A(2) are situated downstream of Rac, and we conclude that Rac, ERK, and cytosolic phospholipase A(2) all play pivotal roles in mediating the ROS generation that appears to be a prerequisite for leukotriene B(4)-induced chemotaxis and cell proliferation.

Signal transduction and activation of the NADPH oxidase in eosinophils

Activation of eosinophil NADPH oxidase and the subsequent release of toxic oxygen radicals has been implicated in the mechanism of parasite killing and inflammation. At present, little is known of the signal transduction pathway that govern agonist-induced activation of the respiratory burst and is the subject of this review. In particular, we focus on the ability of leukotrine B4 to activate the NADPH oxidase in guinea-pig peritoneal eosinophils which can be obtained in sufficient number and purity for detailed biochemical experiments to be performed.

Divergent effects of bryostatin 1 and phorbol myristate acetate on cell cycle arrest and maturation in human myelomonocytic leukemia cells (U937)

Bryostatin 1 and the phorbol ester, phorbol myristate acetate (PMA), both bind to and activate protein kinase C (PKC) but exhibit divergent biological actions. Bryostatin 1 exerts variable effects on leukemic cell differentiation, and has been reported by some investigators to inhibit the proliferation of the monocytic leukemic cell line U937. In this study, we have compared the efficacy of bryostatin 1 and PMA with respect to U937 cell maturation, with a major emphasis on differential actions on the cell cycle arrest machinery. At equimolar concentrations (10 nM), PMA, in contrast to bryostatin 1, induced cellular differentiation of U937 cells, reflected by growth inhibition, increased plastic adhesion, and expression of the monocytic differentiation marker, CD11b. Consistent with these results, bryostatin 1 was less effective in inducing G0/G1 arrest and inhibiting cyclin-dependent kinase 2 (CDK2) activity. Bryostatin 1, unlike PMA, failed to induce expression of the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor (CDKI), p21CIP1/WAF1, and blocked the ability of PMA to induce this protein. Bryostatin 1 exposure resulted in increased expression of the CDKI p27KIP1 in these cells, although the kinetics differed from PMA. In addition, bryostatin 1 was less effective than PMA in dephosphorylating pRb, modifying E2F complexes, and downregulating c-Myc. Co-administration of bryostatin 1 with PMA antagonized the latter's differentiation-inducing capacity and anti-proliferative effects, actions that were accompanied by a reduction in PMA-mediated p21CIP1/WAF1 induction, CDK2 inhibition, pRb dephosphorylation, and c-Myc downregulation. Antagonistic effects of bryostatin 1 on PMA-related cell cycle events were mimicked by the specific PKC inhibitor GF109203X. Together, these studies indicate that bryostatin 1 is a considerably weaker stimulus than PMA for U937 cell differentiation, and raise the possibility that this deficiency arises from its failure to induce p21CIP1/WAF1 and trigger cell cycle arrest.

Bradykinin-stimulated arachidonic acid release from MDCK cells is not protein kinase C dependent

Bradykinin (BK)-induced release of arachidonic acid (AA) from Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) D1 cells was investigated. Phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) caused a synergistic increase in BK- and A-23187-induced release of AA but alone had no effect on this release. Inhibition of protein kinase C (PKC) with bisindolmaleimide I (BIS) abolished the synergistic effects of PMA but did not affect AA release caused by BK or A-23187 alone. Downregulation of PKC with 100 nM PMA resulted in a reduction of AA release induced by BK or A-23187 addition, which corresponded to a decrease in cytoplasmic phospholipase A2 (cPLA2) activity as measured in cell extracts. Although Western blotting revealed no differences in cPLA2 expression as a result of PMA treatment, phosphorylation of the enzyme, as assessed by phosphoserine content, was significantly reduced in PKC-depleted cells. These results imply that, with PKC downregulation, subsequent BK stimulation results in a Ca(2+)-dependent translocation of a less phosphorylated, less active form of cPLA2. Any stimulation of PKC by BK addition did not appear as a significant event in onset responses leading to AA release. On the other hand, inhibition of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascade with the MAPK kinase inhibitor, PD-98059, significantly decreased BK-induced release of AA, a finding that, with our other results, points to the existence of a PKC-independent route for stimulation of MAPK and the propagation of onset responses.