Stimulation of mannose-binding activity in the rabbit alveolar macrophage by simple sugars

d-mannose suppresses oxidative response and blocks phagocytosis in experimental neuroinflammation

Inflammation drives the pathology of many neurological diseases. d-mannose has been found to exert an antiinflammatory effect in peripheral diseases, but its effects on neuroinflammation and inflammatory cells in the central nervous system have not been studied. We aimed to determine the effects of d-mannose on key macrophage/microglial functions-oxidative stress and phagocytosis. In murine experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), we found d-mannose improved EAE symptoms compared to phosphate-buffered saline (PBS)-control mice, while other monosaccharides did not. Multiagent molecular MRI performed to assess oxidative stress (targeting myeloperoxidase [MPO] using MPO-bis-5-hydroxytryptamide diethylenetriaminepentaacetate gadolinium [Gd]) and phagocytosis (using cross-linked iron oxide [CLIO] nanoparticles) in vivo revealed that d-mannose-treated mice had smaller total MPO-Gd+ areas than those of PBS-control mice, consistent with decreased MPO-mediated oxidative stress. Interestingly, d-mannose-treated mice exhibited markedly smaller CLIO+ areas and much less T2 shortening effect in the CLIO+ lesions compared to PBS-control mice, revealing that d-mannose partially blocked phagocytosis. In vitro experiments with different monosaccharides further confirmed that only d-mannose treatment blocked macrophage phagocytosis in a dose-dependent manner. As phagocytosis of myelin debris has been known to increase inflammation, decreasing phagocytosis could result in decreased activation of proinflammatory macrophages. Indeed, compared to PBS-control EAE mice, d-mannose-treated EAE mice exhibited significantly fewer infiltrating macrophages/activated microglia, among which proinflammatory macrophages/microglia were greatly reduced while antiinflammatory macrophages/microglia increased. By uncovering that d-mannose diminishes the proinflammatory response and boosts the antiinflammatory response, our findings suggest that d-mannose, an over-the-counter supplement with a high safety profile, may be a low-cost treatment option for neuroinflammatory diseases such as multiple sclerosis.

CD4-independent infection of astrocytes by human immunodeficiency virus type 1: requirement for the human mannose receptor

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection occurs in the central nervous system and causes a variety of neurobehavioral and neuropathological disorders. Both microglia, the residential macrophages in the brain, and astrocytes are susceptible to HIV-1 infection. Unlike microglia that express and utilize CD4 and chemokine coreceptors CCR5 and CCR3 for HIV-1 infection, astrocytes fail to express CD4. Astrocytes express several chemokine coreceptors; however, the involvement of these receptors in astrocyte HIV-1 infection appears to be insignificant. In the present study using an expression cloning strategy, the cDNA for the human mannose receptor (hMR) was found to be essential for CD4-independent HIV-1 infectivity. Ectopic expression of functional hMR rendered U87.MG astrocytic cells susceptible to HIV-1 infection, whereas anti-hMR serum and hMR-specific siRNA blocked HIV-1 infection in human primary astrocytes. In agreement with these findings, hMR bound to HIV-1 virions via the abundant and highly mannosylated sugar moieties of HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein gp120 in a Ca(2+)-dependent fashion. Moreover, hMR-mediated HIV-1 infection was dependent upon endocytic trafficking as assessed by transmission electron microscopy, as well as inhibition of viral entry by endosomo- and lysosomotropic drugs. Taken together, these results demonstrate the direct involvement of hMR in HIV-1 infection of astrocytes and suggest that HIV-1 interaction with hMR plays an important role in HIV-1 neuropathogenesis.

Transfer of the human Alpha1-antitrypsin gene into pulmonary macrophages in vivo

Several viral and nonviral methods have introduced functional genes into the lungs. An alternative strategy, receptor-mediated gene transfer, exploits the ability of receptors on the surface of cells to bind and internalize DNA complexes and could potentially be used to deliver genes to specific cells in the lung. The gene encoding human alpha1-antitrypsin (A1AT) was delivered to macrophages in vitro and in vivo by targeting the mannose receptor with mannose-terminal molecular conjugates. The human A1AT transcript was detected 2 d after transfection of macrophages in culture, but transgene expression was transient. Human A1AT protein was secreted into the culture medium, and Western blot hybridization revealed the mature human antiprotease. In addition, Sprague-Dawley rats underwent intravenous injections of increasing doses of plasmid DNA (0.2 mg, 1.0 mg, and 2.0 mg) complexed to the molecular conjugate. Four days after transfection, human A1AT mRNA was found in lungs from six of the 13 rats (46%) that received the higher doses of plasmid. Transgene expression was limited to cells in perivascular and alveolar regions, which conformed to the distribution of pulmonary macrophages. Human A1AT was measured in the epithelial lining fluid of rats treated with transfection complexes. Animals that received 1.0 mg of plasmid had human A1AT levels of 7.4 +/- 3.4 pM, which was significantly different from nontransfected and mock-transfected controls. Thus the mannose receptor permitted direct delivery of genes to pulmonary macrophages, though transgene expression was detected in the lung only at low levels.

An evaluation of receptor-mediated gene transfer using synthetic DNA-ligand complexes

Receptor-mediated gene transfer is an attractive method for therapeutically correcting human genetic diseases since it permits the targeting of DNA to cellular receptors in specific tissues of adult animals. Genes introduced by this technique have been shown to be expressed in the target tissue for varying periods. However, to be useful for gene therapy, it is critical that both the chemical properties and physical interactions of the reagents involved in the design of the DNA delivery vehicle be rigorously characterized. In this review, we discuss the critical steps in the preparation of the DNA-ligand complex and the factors involved in the delivery and regulated expression of a transgene in animal tissues. The feasibility of using this technique for the therapeutic delivery of genes to mammalian tissues will also be evaluated.

Carbohydrate-dependent binding of human myeloid leukemia cell lines to neoglycoenzymes, matrix-immobilized neoglycoproteins, and bone marrow stromal cell layers

The presence of sugar receptors on human myeloid leukemia cells was comparatively assessed by a highly sensitive binding assay, employing a panel of 14 types of neoglycoenzymes (chemically glycosylated Escherichia coli beta-galactosidase). The selected carbohydrate ligands mainly encompass common components of natural glycoconjugates as mono- or disaccharides. The monocytoid cells of the THP-1 line, the very young myeloblasts and the myeloblasts of the lines KG-1a and KG-1, the promyelocytes of the HL-60 line, and the early myeloblasts/erythroblasts of the K-562 line displayed a nonuniform pattern of specific binding with quantitative differences at a fixed, nonsaturating concentration of the probes. Scatchard analysis in four cases corroborated the indication of cell-type-related differences between the various cell lines. To test whether the detectable cellular sugar-binding sites can mediate adhesion to glycoligands, a rather simple model matrix of nitrocellulose-immobilized neoglycoproteins was first used. In comparison to the carbohydrate-free carrier protein significant cell adhesion was observed primarily with neoglycoproteins that exposed galactose, N-acetylgalactosamine, N-acetylglucosamine, mannose, and fucose moieties among the 11 tested types of carbohydrate residue. Subsequently, human bone marrow stromal cell layers were tested as a model matrix with increased levels of physiological relevance and complexity. Mixtures of carbohydrate and neoglycoprotein were employed as inhibitors of an interaction via lectins between the stromal and the tumor cells. The carbohydrate-dependent alterations of this parameter revealed cell-type-associated properties. Tumor cell binding was significantly decreased for not more than two lines with the effective sugars, namely N-acetylgalactosamine, mannose, fucose, and sialic acid.

Binding specificity of D-mannose 6-phosphate receptor of rabbit alveolar macrophages

The existence of terminal D-mannosyl 6-phosphate groups (Man-6-P) was required (for an inhibitor) to exert a strong inhibitory potency against the binding of bovine serum albumin (BSA) conjugated with 17 molecules of penta-D-mannose 6-phosphate [(M5P)17-BSA] to the Man-6-P receptor in rabbit alveolar macrophages. In addition, the underlying oligosaccharide structures, such as linkage mode between the nonreducing sugar group and the penultimate sugar residue, and the length of sugar chain also affected the inhibitory potency in this system. In general, the oligosaccharides with an alpha-(1----2)-linked Man-6-P unit gave stronger inhibitory potencies than those with an alpha-(1----3)- or alpha-(1----6)-linked Man-6-P unit. Trisaccharides containing a terminal Man-6-P group were more potent inhibitors than disaccharides. A synthetic, branched, and divalent ligand, which does not have a penultimate sugar residue, gave about the same level of inhibitory potency as Man-6-P itself. The "cluster effect" was observed in this system, i.e., as the number of Man-6-P units conjugated to BSA [(Man-6-P)5,5,8, and 46-BSA] increased, the stronger inhibitory potencies were observed with decreasing I50 values of 1.93, 1.36, and 0.0345 microM, respectively. Synthetic divalent oligosaccharides also showed higher inhibitory potencies than the corresponding monovalent oligosaccharides.

Analysis of cell-surface sugar receptor expression by neoglycoenzyme binding and adhesion to plastic-immobilized neoglycoproteins for related weakly and strongly metastatic cell lines of murine tumor model systems

Recognition of the carbohydrate part of cellular glycoconjugates by cell-surface sugar receptors may contribute to interactions, essential to the establishment of metastases. Comparison of the properties of strongly metastatic variants to their related, less metastatic counterparts offers a generally accepted approach to the discovery of metastasis-associated characteristics. The chemically induced murine lymphoma line Eb and its spontaneously arising variant ESb with increased potential for lung and liver colonization, the virally induced lymphosarcoma cell line RAW117-P and its in vivo selected variant H10 with increased potential for liver colonization, and the B16-F1 melanoma line and its in vivo selected variant F10 with increased potential for lung colonization, were chosen. A panel of 12 types of chemically glycosylated E. coli beta-galactosidase, exposing the pivotal carbohydrate residues for specific carbohydrate-dependent cell binding, was employed to study the expression of respective cell-surface sugar receptors on these cell lines. Specific binding occurred in a non-uniform manner for the individual probes. Systematic measurements at a non-saturating ligand concentration revealed quantitative differences between the 2 cell lines of each system. However, there were no consistent changes associated with the metastatic phenotype. A similar result was obtained employing Scatchard analyses for quantitative evaluation of binding characteristics in several cases. Surface receptor expression was responsive to chemical induction of differentiation in the lymphosarcoma model. Analyses of sugar-inhibitable cell adhesion to neoglycoprotein-coated plastic wells for the lymphoma and lymphosarcoma cells revealed that the presence of cell-surface sugar receptors, even at similar densities to those defined by neoglycoenzyme binding, will not necessarily translate into an identical adhesive response. Several carbohydrates, especially N-acetyl-D-galactosamine, can differentially affect this interaction at a non-toxic concentration in both model systems.

Enhancement of macromolecular ligand binding by rabbit alveolar macrophages by mannose oligosaccharides and related compounds

When rabbit alveolar macrophages were incubated with 10 mM D-mannose, binding of macromolecular ligands containing D-mannose, such as bovine serum albumin modified with mannose (Man-BSA), was enhanced more than 100%, but was inhibited at higher concentrations [C.A. Hoppe and Y. C. Lee (1982) J. Biol. Chem. 257, 12831-12834]. This phenomenon was further investigated with ovalbumin-derived glycopeptide, Asn(GlcNA2,Man5), and with a wide variety of synthetic mannose oligosaccharides. The extent of enhancement is related to the fine structure of the oligosaccharide groups, but the results are complicated by concurrent inhibition exerted by these compounds. It appears that the more inhibitory a compound is, the less capable it is of exerting the enhancement effect. Thus, small mannose derivatives such as glycosides, including clustered mannosides based on tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane [Y. C. Lee (1978) Carbohydr. Res. 67, 509-514], and most of the biantennary mannose oligosaccharides were found to be effective in enhancing the binding of radiolabeled Man-BSA. Triantennary oligosaccharides, on the other hand, showed only a slight enhancement effect and a much stronger inhibitory effect. The effects of ligand size, valency, as well as the fine structure on enhancement are discussed.

Interaction of high or low metastatic related tumor lines with normal or lymphokine-activated syngeneic peritoneal macrophages: in vitro analysis of tumor cell binding and cytostasis

Peritoneal macrophages from normal DBA/2 mice were found to bind significantly more cells of a syngeneic low metastatic lymphoma line (Eb) than cells of a high metastatic variant (ESb) derived therefrom. These differences were observed in three different assays, at 4 degrees C and at 37 degrees C, and at various ratios of macrophages to tumor cells. Upon co-culture with normal macrophages, a tumor cytostatic effect was consistently observed with Eb but not with ESb tumor cells. Further experiments indicated that macrophages exerted their growth inhibitory effect via direct tumor cell contact. Pre-treatment of tumor cells with neuraminidase or pre-treatment of macrophages with lens culinaris lectin increased the numbers of macrophages binding Eb and ESb tumor cells. Addition of D-galactose or D-mannose at 50 mM concentration led to an increase of tumor cell binding and tumor cytostatic activity. Taken together, these results suggest (i) that carbohydrates play a role in tumor cell recognition by macrophages and (ii) that the differences observed between Eb and ESb tumor cells may be due to differences in the expression of carbohydrates. Pre-activation of the macrophages by lymphokine(s) led to a short increase in their tumor cell binding capacity. Lymphokine activation resulted in a strong but also short-lived increase of tumor cytostatic potential. This was effective against both the low and the high metastatic tumor line.