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Inflammation Research Center, University of Melbourne, Department of Medicine, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| Abstract |
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lowered the DNA synthesis response to
CSF-1 of MRL/lpr BMM rather than enhanced it, as has
been reported. Our data suggest that the enhanced accumulation of
macrophages in the MRL/lpr kidney cannot be explained by
a proposed model of enhanced responsiveness of MRL/lpr
BMM to CSF-1, including a contribution by
TNF-
. | Introduction |
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Most studies of the autoimmunity in MRL/lpr mice have focused on the prominent and unusual T lymphocytes. However, reports have suggested the importance of macrophages, since, for example, there are increased numbers of them in the kidney, liver, and spleen (4, 5), and extramedullary monocytopoiesis is sustained throughout life (7). Abnormalities in several functions in MRL/lpr, and sometimes in MRL+/+, macrophages have been observed (8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15). However, there are disagreements as to whether there is inherent inflammatory cytokine production (6, 12, 13, 15). There is also debate as to whether there are innate defects in the autoimmune macrophages or whether the abnormalities result from the exposure of the cells to the autoimmune milieu (4, 5, 6, 12).
During an inflammatory reaction there is increasing evidence for local proliferation of resident and/or newly arrived monocytes/macrophages contributing to their accumulation in tissues (16, 17, 18). Histopathologic examination of the arthritic joints in MRL/lpr mice revealed erosion and destruction of articular cartilage and bone largely associated with proliferating synovial cells, originally termed transformed mesenchymal cells, in a manner very similar to that described in rheumatoid arthritis lesions (2). However, these cells were later shown to have macrophage markers (19, 20).
Macrophage CSF (M-CSF)3 or CSF-1 and granulocyte-macrophage CSF (GM-CSF) are important cytokines for the development and function of cells of the monocyte/macrophage lineage (21). Evidence has been presented that in the MRL/lpr mouse CSF-1 and/or GM-CSF in the kidney are responsible for the accumulation of macrophages in this organ and can initiate renal tissue destruction (4, 5, 22, 23). Elevated circulating CSF-1 levels are also found in these mice (4). Both CSF-1 and GM-CSF have been viewed as inflammatory cytokines (24, 25, 26).
The murine peritoneum is often used as a convenient sterile site to explore the characteristics and involvement of macrophage lineage cells in the development of an inflammatory reaction. Under steady state conditions, resident peritoneal macrophages can be derived locally in the peritoneum (27, 28), and from the op/op (CSF-1-deficient) mouse, this production would appear to be dependent upon the presence of CSF-1 (29). Soon after injection of an irritant, such as thioglycollate medium (TM), predominantly neutrophils followed by macrophages appear in the cavity (30). It has been shown in many studies that elicited murine peritoneal macrophages can proliferate in vitro but require the presence of added CSF-1 (31, 32, 33).
In support of the possibility that there may be innate defects in the
autoimmune macrophages (6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15) (see above), it has been reported
that bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMM) from MRL background mice
(i.e., both MRL/lpr and MRL+/+)
respond more readily to CSF-1 than BMM from control strains and that
modulation of CSF-1 receptor expression is more rapid (34); it was
suggested that this altered response of MRL macrophages to CSF-1 is
responsible for the notable accumulation of macrophages in the kidneys,
is dictated by the background, and may be a valuable predictor of the
tempo of renal damage (34). In an accompanying study it was found that
TNF-
enhanced CSF-1-induced BMM proliferation in MRL/lpr
mice but not in other strains, including MRL+/+
(35); based on this finding and others it was proposed that the
simultaneous expression of TNF-
and CSF-1 in the MRL/lpr
kidney fosters macrophage accumulation, which is responsible for the
rapid tempo of autoimmune renal injury in MRL/lpr mice (35).
We had shown earlier that exogenous TNF-
was one of a series of
G1 phase inhibitors of CSF-1-stimulated proliferation of
BMM from other mouse strains (36, 37, 38, 39).
Given the above discussion, we examined in vitro the DNA synthesis
response of MRL/lpr and MRL+/+
peritoneal exudate macrophages and BMM to both CSF-1 and GM-CSF.
Interestingly and atypically, the MRL peritoneal exudate macrophages
underwent DNA synthesis in the absence of added exogenous CSF; they
also responded very well to GM-CSF. Both responses appeared to be
independent of the presence of endogenous CSF-1 in the cultures. In
contrast to the literature, we found no obvious differences in the
proliferative response to CSF-1 of MRL BMM and BMM from other strains
and no obvious differences in CSF-1 receptor (or ligand) turnover; in
addition, we found that exogenous TNF-
and other agents suppress
CSF-1-stimulated MRL/lpr BMM DNA synthesis, as we had found
previously with BMM from other mice.
| Materials and Methods |
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Male MRL/MpJ+/+ (MRL+/+) and MRL/MpJ-lpr/lpr (MRL-lpr) mice were purchased from The Jackson Laboratory (Bar Harbor, ME), bred, and used between 8 and 12 wk of age. Equivalent C57BL/6, CBA, and BALB/c mice were obtained from the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute (Parkville, Australia). Other mice of the same age were from the following sources: C57BL/6, C3H/HeJ, and C3H/lpr, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute; CBA and BALB/c, Monash University (Clayton, Australia); DBA/1 (Animal Resources Center, Canning Vale, Australia), (129/OLA x C57BL/6)F1, Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research (Parkville, Australia); (C3H x C57BL/6)F1, J. Proietto, University of Melbourne, Department of Medicine (Parkville, Australia)); and (129/SV x C57BL/6)F1, P. Carmeliet (Leuven, Belgium).
Peritoneal cells
Peritoneal cells were washed from the peritoneal cavity of mice by lavage with 5 ml of ice-cold, sterile PBS (Trace BioSciences, Castle Hill Australia). Peritoneal exudate cells were elicited by i.p. injection of 1 ml of Brewers TM (Difco, Detroit, MI), and cells were harvested in the same way at 4 days after injection.
Bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMM)
BMM were generated as adherent cells from their nonadherent progenitors in bone marrow by a protocol similar to that we have used previously (40). However, to ensure comparable initial cell numbers, nonadherent precursors, generated after 3 days from CSF-1-treated bone marrow cells in RPMI/10% heat-inactivated FBS, were plated into nontissue culture-treated plastic dishes (10-cm diameter; Disposable Products, Adelaide, Australia) at 1.2 x 106 cells/dish. After a further 3 days of culture in CSF-1-containing medium (40), the adherent BMM were aspirated from the surface, plated at 7.5 x 104 cells/well in 24-well tissue culture plates (Nunc, Naperville, IL) in the same medium, and allowed to adhere for another 24 h. Cells were prepared for experiments by washing twice with PBS and reculturing in growth medium in the absence of CSF-1. BMM were growth arrested for 20 h under these conditions before use (40).
DNA synthesis
DNA synthesis in peritoneal macrophages and BMM was measured as
the incorporation of [methyl-3H]TdR as
described previously (41). Briefly, peritoneal cells (2 x
105 or 4 x 105 cells/well) were allowed
to adhere to a 24-well plate (Nunc) in 0.5 ml of
-MEM plus 10% FCS
for 23 h at 37°C. Triplicate cultures were prepared for each
treatment. Nonadherent cells were removed by three washes with PBS.
Unless otherwise indicated, each well was replenished with 0.5 ml of
-MEM plus 10% FCS in the presence or the absence of 5,000 U/ml of
human CSF-1 or 10,000 U/ml of murine GM-CSF. [3H]TdR (sp.
act., 82Ci/mmol; Amersham, U.K.) was added to each culture well
at a concentration of 2.5 µCi/ml. After 45 days of culture, uptake
was stopped by washing with PBS, the cells were solubilized in 0.2 M
NaOH, and the incorporation of radioactivity into TCA-precipitable
material was recovered using an Inotech cell harvester (Berthold
Australia, Bundoora, Australia) and measured by beta scintillation
counting. A long labeling protocol was used because of the lag period
before the cells enter S phase (32). For BMM, [3H]TdR
incorporation was measured over different time periods as indicated.
Cell number
Macrophages were collected by scraping gently, and viable cells were counted in a hemocytometer using trypan blue exclusion.
Flow cytometry
Attached cells were scraped loose using a cell scraper, resuspended in cold PBS containing 2% FCS (staining buffer), and centrifuged at 250 x g for 10 min. Cells were resuspended in 50 µl of staining buffer and left for 30 min on ice before staining. For single-color immunofluorescence a 10-min incubation with FCS at 4°C preceded the addition of 50 µl of the anti-Mac-1 mAb (American Type Culture Collection, Manassas, VA) or 5 µg/ml of the isotype (IgG) control. After 20 min at 4°C, cells were washed twice with staining buffer then incubated with 50 µl of phycoerythrin-conjugated affinity-purified F(ab2)' donkey anti-rat IgG (Jackson ImmunoResearch Laboratories, West Grove, PA) for 20 min at 4°C. Stained cells were then washed, resuspended, and analyzed immediately on a FACScaliber (Becton Dickinson, Mountain View, CA).
For the two-color immunofluorescence staining, cells were prepared, incubated with the anti-Mac-1 mAb, and washed as described above, then resuspended in 100 µl of 0.5% paraformaldehyde and left for 4 h at room temperature. Following this, 25 µl of 5% Tween 20 in PBS were added, and the cells were left overnight at 4°C. After washing twice in PBS, 10 µl of DNase I (Sigma, St. Louis, MO) were added, and the cells were incubated with 50 µl of the phycoerythrin-conjugated anti-rat IgG and 10 µl of FITC-conjugated anti-BrdUrd mAb (Becton Dickinson, Mountain View, CA). Included as part of the controls for immunofluorescence staining were cells grown in the absence of BrdUrd (see above). After incubation for 60 min at room temperature, cells were analyzed as described above.
Phagocytosis assay
Macrophage monolayers were washed with staining buffer, then preincubated for 30 min at 37°C with 1 ml of the same solution. The fluorescent latex Fluospheres (L-5281 carboxylate-modified, 1.0-µm diameter, 2% solids; Molecular Probes, Eugene, OR) were first precoated with 1% BSA before 10 µl of the 0.5% BSA-coated bead solution was added to the cells. The macrophages were then incubated with latex beads in the solution for 60 min at room temperature. Control cultures with no addition of latex beads were also included. After washing five times with cold PBS to eliminate uningested freely suspended particles, the medium was changed to 1 ml of PBS containing 0.25% trypsin, and the cells were incubated for 2.5 h at 37°C. Incubation with trypsin has been reported to remove uningested particles attached to the macrophage membrane surface (42). The cells were fixed with the addition of 1 ml of 1% glutaraldehyde (0.5% final concentration) and were left overnight at 4°C. Following this the cells were scraped as described above, centrifuged at 250 x g for 20 min, and resuspended in PBS before analysis by flow cytometry.
Surface CSF-1 receptor levels
For the measurement of surface-bound CSF-1 receptor, quiescent
BMM were prepared as described above, but plated at 3 x
105 cells/well in six-well plates (Falcon, Becton Dickinson
Labware, Mountain View, CA). CSF-1 was iodinated using chloramine-T as
described previously (43) to between 1 and 2 mol of bound iodine/mol
and was used within 23 days. The growth-arrested cells were
incubated with CSF-1 (5000 U/ml) for 1 or 24 h at 37°C,
and surface receptor numbers were measured as follows. Cultures were
cooled rapidly on ice, and surface-bound CSF-1 was removed by a 60-s
wash with PBS, pH 4. Triplicate wells were incubated at 4°C for 30
min in binding buffer (
-MEM, 0.02% NaN3, and 0.2% BSA)
with 0.15 nM 125I-CSF-1 (2.2 x 108
cpm/µg) in the presence or the absence of 50-fold excess of unlabeled
CSF-1. After incubation, unbound CSF-1 was removed by washing three
times in ice-cold binding buffer and three times in PBS; bound CSF-1
was estimated using a United Technologies Packard Crystal gamma counter
following solubilization in 1.5 ml of 50 mM Tris (pH 7.5) and 0.5%
SDS.
c-fms mRNA levels
Quiescent cells (
2 x 106) were treated as
described in the text for 18 h, and total RNA was prepared by a
published method (44) and analyzed by Northern blotting. Equal loading
and transfer of RNA were confirmed by UV illumination of both gels and
membranes following ethidium bromide staining. Probing was with a
32P-labeled c-fms cDNA probe followed by
membrane exposure to Kodak XAR autoradiographic film (Kodak, Rochester,
NY) at -70°C with intensifying screens (36).
Internalization and degradation of 125I-CSF-1
Internalization during a single uptake of 125I-CSF-1
was followed in a temperature-shift experiment as described (45).
Quiescent BMM, cultured to a density of 1 x 106
cells/well, were cooled on ice for 30 min. Cultures were then incubated
at 4°C with 125I-CSF-1 (300 pM) for a further 60 min.
Unbound 125I-CSF-1 was removed by washing in ice-cold
RPMI/1% heat-inactivated RPMI/FBS and then the cultures were shifted
to 37°C by the addition of 1 ml of prewarmed medium for the times
indicated. The uptake of ligand was stopped at the times indicated by
transfer of cultures to 4°C and washing twice in 2 ml of buffer
(
-MEM, 0.2% BSA, and 0.02% sodium azide). Receptor-bound
125I-CSF-1 was determined as radioactivity released
following incubation of cells at pH 4 for 60 s. The internalized
125I-CSF-1 was determined following solubilization in 1.5
ml of lysis buffer (50 mM Tris-Cl, pH 7.5, and 0.5% SDS). Cells at the
zero time point were maintained at 4°C following the removal of
unbound 125I-CSF-1, and then cell surface
receptor-associated 125I-CSF-1 was measured. The
internalized ligand at a given time point is represented as a
percentage of the total 125I-CSF-1 present at the time.
Degradation of 125I-CSF-1 was determined as described previously (45). Quiescent BMM were cooled on ice, and 125I-labeled CSF-1 (100 pM) was allowed to bind for 60 min. Following the removal of unbound ligand, cells were replaced with medium at 37°C. The degradation of 125I-CSF-1 was estimated by counting the TCA-soluble fraction of the medium. Cells at the zero time point were replaced with medium at 4°C, and the radioactivity in the lysate was estimated to determine the total surface-associated counts before internalization. The degradation is represented as a proportion of the initial surface-associated 125I-CSF-1.
Reagents
The following were obtained as gifts: recombinant human CSF-1
(sp. act., 7 x 107 U/mg; Chiron, Emeryville, CA);
recombinant murine GM-CSF (sp. act., 2 x 107
units/mg) (Sandoz, Vienna, Austria); recombinant murine TNF-
(sp.
act., 1.2 x 107 U/mg (Boehringer Ingelheim, Sydney,
Australia); neutralizing anti-murine c-Fms hybridoma (AFS-98) (S.
I. Nishikawa, Kyoto, Japan) (46); c-fms cDNA (D. Hume,
Brisbane, Australia). The following were purchased:
-MEM (Trace
BioSciences), RPMI (ICN-Flow Laboratories, Sydney, Australia),
and FCS (CSL, Parkville, Australia).
All other reagents were analytical grade. All practical precautions for minimizing endotoxin contamination were taken. Solutions were made in pyrogen-free water (Delta West, Bentley, Western Australia) and endotoxin levels were routinely monitored by Limulus lysate tests (CSL, Parkville, Australia), with the minimum detectable level being 0.01 ng/ml.
| Results |
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In the steady state the numbers of peritoneal cells (
6 x
106/mouse) in the peritoneal cavities of MRL mice (i.e.,
MRL/lpr and MRL+/+ mice) were similar
to those in matched C57BL/6 mice. Many studies with several mouse
strains have shown that only a low proportion of resident peritoneal
macrophages from an unstimulated peritoneal cavity can proliferate in
vitro in response to CSF-1 (32, 41). We found in several experiments
(n = 10) that in the absence of CSF-1, both
MRL/lpr and C57BL/6 resident peritoneal macrophages had low
[3H]TdR incorporation over a 5-day culture period, as a
measure of DNA synthesis (data not shown); both cell populations had
similar responses to CSF-1 (5,000 U/ml). They also had weak and similar
responses to GM-CSF (10,000 U/ml, which was approximately 10% of the
value of the CSF-1 response; data not shown).
DNA synthesis in MRL peritoneal exudate macrophages
Injection of TM gave rise to increased numbers of MRL peritoneal
cells (maximum, 1520 x 106 cells/mouse) at the
96 h examination, which were lower than the maximum numbers
obtainable from the injected C57BL/6 cavity (2040 x
106 cells/mouse). Many studies with several mouse strains
have shown that peritoneal exudate macrophages, usually elicited by TM
injection, require CSF-1 for proliferation in vitro (31, 32, 33, 47, 48, 49).
However, it is shown in Table I
for a
representative experiment that both MRL/lpr and
MRL+/+ adherent peritoneal cells (i.e.,
macrophages; see below) from a 4-day TM-induced exudate underwent a
relatively high level of DNA synthesis in the absence of added CSF-1
compared with the equivalent C57BL/6 response (12- to 13-fold
increase). As expected (31, 32, 33, 47, 48, 49), the exudate macrophages from
each strain responded quite well to added CSF-1. The number of adherent
cells at the start of the experiment was comparable for each mouse
strain. The effect of GM-CSF on peritoneal macrophage proliferation in
vitro has not been widely examined, although in one report with C3H/HeJ
TM-elicited peritoneal macrophages it appeared to result in less
proliferation than CSF-1 (50). It can also be seen in Table I
that the
extent of [3H]TdR incorporation in response to GM-CSF was
much higher for the MRL peritoneal cells than for the C57BL/6
counterparts.
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We then examined the respective DNA synthesis responses of peritoneal exudate macrophages (4-day, TM-induced exudate) from a number of mouse strains to gain some idea of the generality or otherwise of our observations. Macrophages from the following strains were analyzed: CBA, BALB/c, DBA/1, C3H/HeJ, (129/OLA x C57BL/6)F1, (C3H x C57BL/6)F1, and (129/SV x C57BL/6)F1. As expected from the literature (31, 32, 33, 47, 48, 49), the DNA synthesis levels in the absence of CSF were uniformly low and similar to those for C57BL/6 macrophages, as were the dramatic responses to CSF-1; if calculated as a proportion of the CSF-1 responses, they were always <5% (data not shown). The responses to GM-CSF varied more than the CSF-1 responses, with the range being 50100% of the latter values (data not shown).
For the above experiments the macrophage cultures always contained FCS.
We therefore determined in additional experiments the serum dependence
of the high basal response of the MRL/lpr macrophages. We
see in Fig. 1
that, in fact, 5% FCS
resulted in an even higher stimulation than 10% FCS, with
responsiveness even occurring in serum-free medium.
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As mentioned, we assumed above that the MRL-adherent peritoneal
exudate cells responding abnormally in the absence of CSF-1 were
macrophage-type cells and not another cell type. However, it was
thought necessary to provide evidence for this. The adherence, size,
and morphologic appearance of the cell populations in culture were
macrophage-like. Also, 5070% of the MRL-adherent exudate cells
generally entered cell cycle in response to the macrophage-specific
growth factor, CSF-1, and in some experiments 40% entered cell cycle
in the absence of added CSF (see above). Further evidence supporting
the macrophage nature of the MRL exudate cells proliferating in the
absence of CSF was obtained by investigating immunoreactivity to Mac-1.
Immunohistochemistry (data not shown) and flow cytometry revealed that
>90% of the adherent peritoneal exudate cells were positive for the
Mac-1 Ag both before and after 4 days of culture. Flow cytometric data
for a MRL/lpr peritoneal exudate culture (4-day culture) are
given in Fig. 2
A. Data were
similar for the three mouse strains examined (MRL/lpr,
MRL+/+, and C57BL/6) and were constant over the
three culture conditions, i.e., in the absence or the presence of
either CSF. In addition, >90% of the cultured MRL/lpr and
C57BL/6 adherent peritoneal exudate cells under all conditions were
able to phagocytose FITC-labeled latex beads, confirming their
macrophage nature (data for the MRL/lpr cells are presented
in Fig. 2
B).
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80%) of cells undergoing DNA synthesis expressed Mac-1 (Fig. 2Role of endogenous CSF-1
It is possible that endogenous CSF-1 production in the MRL
peritoneal exudate cultures may be responsible for the enhanced
proliferative response of the macrophages in the absence of added CSF
and the relatively high response to GM-CSF. In this context, it has
been reported that GM-CSF can induce CSF-1 in monocyte cultures (51)
and can synergize with low concentrations of exogenous CSF-1 to
stimulate murine macrophage proliferation (50). To investigate this
issue, the proliferative responses were conducted in the presence of
blocking Ab to c-Fms (CSF-1 receptor) (46). As shown in Table II
, this Ab effectively blocked the DNA
synthesis response to CSF-1 in the MRL/lpr macrophages,
reducing the response to that obtained in FCS alone. However, in the
experiment for which data are presented, the responses in the absence
of a CSF and also to GM-CSF were not significantly reduced (in some
experiments the response to GM-CSF was lowered by
10%). As a
confirmation of these findings, when BrdUrd+ incorporation
and flow cytometry were used to monitor DNA synthesis (as in Fig. 2
C), anti-c-Fms Ab had no effect on the percentage of
BrdUrd+ cells in the FCS-containing and GM-CSF-treated
cultures and again reduced the CSF-1 response to the basal level seen
in its absence (data not shown). No discernible change in Mac-1
expression was noted. Assuming that the action of any endogenous CSF-1
with its receptor would also be susceptible to inhibition, it would
appear that this mechanism is not the major one operating to account
for the heightened response of MRL macrophages in the absence of added
CSF as well as the degree of the response to GM-CSF; however, these
negative data cannot be considered conclusive, and additional
approaches are needed to establish the mechanism.
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The altered regulation of DNA synthesis reported above for MRL peritoneal exudate macrophages could be inherent to the macrophage lineage cells themselves and/or could be due to an altered in vivo milieu (4, 5, 6, 12). One way to examine these possibilities is to exploit BMM that are derived in vitro from bone marrow progenitors after culture in CSF-1 (40). This approach has been used previously to examine whether there were any inherent abnormalities in both motheaten (52) and MRL (34, 35) macrophages. Unlike TM-elicited peritoneal macrophages, BMM from many mouse strains have been shown in several studies to require the presence of the exogenous CSF-1 for survival; they enter S phase rapidly (1012 h) after CSF-1 addition to noncycling cells (53, 54). We determined whether quiescent MRL BMM, namely cells from which the CSF-1 used for their outgrowth from progenitor cells had been previously removed for 20 h (see Materials and Methods), would proliferate in the absence of added CSF. We found that these MRL/lpr BMM incorporated more [3H]TdR, albeit at a low level, than the corresponding C57BL/6 BMM over the next 22 h (data not shown); the BMM numbers at the time of the [3H]TdR addition were similar for the two groups. However, when the [3H]TdR pulse was delayed a further 20 h, the degree of DNA synthesis decreased abruptly (the cells begin to die; see below). MRL+/+ BMM showed similar [3H]TdR incorporation as MRL/lpr BMM, while the values for the BMM from several strains (C3H/HeJ, C3H/lpr, CBA, (129/OLA x C57BL/6)F1, (C3H x C57BL/6)F1, and (129/SV x C57BL/6)F1) were comparable to those for the C57BL/6 BMM (data not shown). These data indicate that MRL macrophages, which are derived in vitro from precursors, for some reason stay in cycle longer once CSF-1 is removed; however, this difference is quite transient.
MRL/lpr BMM survival and proliferative response to CSF-1
Since it has been reported that the spontaneous apoptosis in
many cells (3), including human monocytes and macrophages in vitro
(55), is mediated by the interaction of Fas and Fas ligand, that the
lpr mutation in Fas can reverse this (1), and that
hemopoietic cells (56), including BMM
(53),4 appear to die by
apoptosis in the absence of growth factors, we tested whether
MRL/lpr BMM survival upon CSF-1 removal was relatively
enhanced. We see in Fig. 3
that
MRL/lpr BMM viable cell numbers under the particular culture
conditions used are not maintained any better than C3H/HeJ BMM after
CSF-1 removal over the period examined. Similar findings were made when
MRL+/+, C3H/HeJ, and C3H/lpr BMM were
compared, with no obvious enhancement attributable to the
lpr mutation (data not shown).
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CSF-1/CSF-1 receptor turnover in MRL/lpr BMM
To explain the increased sensitivity to CSF-1 of their MRL BMM,
Moore et al. (34) provided evidence that the down-modulation of CSF-1
receptor after MRL BMM exposure to CSF-1 was restored by 18 h, in
contrast to control BMM exposure, at both the protein and mRNA levels;
they therefore concluded that MRL BMM would have more CSF-1 receptors
available to bind CSF-1, which may be responsible for the enhanced
proliferation in response to CSF-1. In Table III
, we indicate that in our hands there
was no difference in the down-modulation of surface receptor number
following additions of ligand to MRL BMM (i.e., MRL/lpr and
MRL+/+ BMM) compared with C3H/HeJ BMM, with no
evidence of recovery of surface receptor numbers by 20 h. This
uniform down-modulation of CSF-1 receptor (c-Fms) protein was found
also at the level of mRNA by Northern analysis, since
c-fms mRNA expression after 18-h treatment with CSF-1
was no higher in MRL/lpr BMM than in C3H/HeJ BMM at the
18 h point (Fig. 5
); the protocol
adopted for the experiment for which data are presented in Fig. 5
was
previously published (34). In addition to the lack of difference in the
degree of disappearance and reappearance of ligand binding sites over
the 20-h period, we illustrate in Fig. 6
A that the rate at which
surface-bound CSF-1 is internalized is similar for MRL/lpr,
MRL+/+, C3H/HeJ, and C3H/lpr BMM;
likewise, there is also a similar rate at which surface-bound CSF-1 is
degraded for MRL/lpr, MRL+/+, and
C3H/HeJ BMM (Fig. 6
B).
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In studies mostly with BMM from CBA or C3H/HeJ mice we showed
previously that a number of agents, including TNF-
, suppressed
CSF-1-stimulated DNA synthesis (36, 37, 38, 39). However, it was recently
reported that TNF-
enhanced CSF-1-stimulated DNA synthesis
specifically in MRL/lpr BMM but not in BMM from
MRL+/+ mice and other strains (35). Since the in
vitro conditions adopted for the BMM studies reported previously (35)
differed slightly from those we had used before (36, 37, 38, 39), we tested the
effects of TNF-
on MRL/lpr BMM under the conditions
employed previously (35), namely a 48-h culture followed by an 18-h
[3H]TdR incorporation period in the presence of an
optimal CSF-1 concentration. In Table IV
we demonstrate that TNF-
(100 and 1000 U/ml) did not enhance the
CSF-1-stimulated [3H]TdR incorporation in
MRL/lpr BMM. However, at 1000 U/ml it suppressed the
CSF-1-stimulated DNA synthesis in MRL/lpr and C57BL/6 BMM
(Table IV
) and in MRL+/+ BMM (data not shown). We
also did not find any potentiation of the DNA synthesis response to
suboptimal CSF-1 concentrations (160 and 320 U/ml). If the effect of
TNF-
was monitored in a 20-h experiment with a 2-h
[3H]TdR pulse, the conditions under which we had
previously analyzed the suppressive effects on BMM DNA synthesis
(36, 37, 38, 39), then TNF-
(1000 U/ml) was again inhibitory for these BMM
(data not shown). TNF-
-mediated suppression also occurred with
C3H/lpr and C3H/HeJ BMM under all conditions. We also found
that doses of TNF-
even as low as 1 U/ml did not have a stimulatory
effect. Other G1 phase inhibitors of CSF-1-stimulated BMM
DNA synthesis, namely LPS, IFN-
, IFN-
, and 8-bromo-cAMP (36, 37, 38, 39),
again suppressed CSF-1-stimulated MRL BMM DNA synthesis in 20-h
cultures (data not shown).
|
| Discussion |
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Our findings with the peritoneal exudate macrophages may help to explain the increased macrophage accumulation in a number of organs in MRL mice, probably present there as part of an autoimmune (inflammatory) reaction. It should also be noted that there are numerous examples in the literature where macrophages have been shown to proliferate as part of an inflammatory response (see, e.g., Refs. 1618); in the particular case of the MRL/lpr mouse, proliferating synovial joint cells with macrophage markers have been observed (2, 19, 20). Evidence has been presented for the reasonable conclusion that in the MRL/lpr mouse CSF-1-dependent proliferation in the kidney is responsible for the accumulation of macrophages in this organ and the initiation of renal tissue destruction (4, 5, 22, 23). From our findings it could mean that CSF-1 may not be needed for the above in vivo findings with the MRL/lpr mouse. A consequence of macrophage accumulation as a result of local proliferation would be more cells with increased potential for inflammatory mediator production (e.g., cytokines), which may contribute to the autoimmune milieu.
We also showed that more MRL exudate macrophages also responded in vitro at least equally as well to GM-CSF as to CSF-1; the CSF-1 response was similar to that for macrophages from the other mouse strains examined, while the GM-CSF response was better than that for macrophages from some of these other strains. The effects of GM-CSF on the proliferation of murine peritoneal macrophages have not been widely studied, although it appeared in one report for C3H/HeJ peritoneal macrophages from 3-day TM-induced exudates that GM-CSF was a weaker mitogen than CSF-1 (50). The DNA synthesis response of MRL peritoneal exudate macrophages to GM-CSF did not appear to be dependent on the presence of endogenous CSF-1; it should be noted that GM-CSF can induce CSF-1 in human monocyte cultures (51). Of potential relevance, Müller et al. (7) reported an increased DNA synthesis response to GM-CSF of nonadherent cells from the spleen, bone marrow, and liver of MRL/lpr mice compared with the response of C3H/HeN cells. MRL+/+ mice were not examined. GM-CSF has been considered by some, including us, to be a proinflammatory cytokine (24, 25, 26) and has been found at sites of inflammation (25). GM-CSF has been considered to have a role in MRL/lpr pathology, since gene transfer of GM-CSF into the MRL/lpr kidney initiates severe local renal injury (22). Our findings could also mean that the accumulation and proliferation of macrophages in MRL tissues mentioned previously (2, 4, 5, 19, 20, 22, 23) may be related to their responsiveness to GM-CSF.
Unlike BMM from motheaten mice (52), we could not find any enhanced
proliferative response of MRL (MRL/lpr and
MRL+/+) BMM to CSF-1 at any CSF-1 concentration
when monitored by [3H]TdR incorporation under various
conditions or by cell number. In other words, we could not confirm the
data of Moore et al. (34) with MRL BMM even though we have used similar
experimental conditions as part of our study. We also could not confirm
that CSF-1 receptor expression on MRL BMM returned more rapidly to
baseline levels after down-regulation by CSF-1 at the level of either
mRNA or protein (34). The reasons for the discrepancies are unclear. Of
possible relevance, we have reported before that variations in
endogenous IFN-
/ß levels in CSF-1-treated BMM cultures from
experiment to experiment can dramatically influence the degree of the
proliferative response even for cells of the same mouse strain and can
lead to inconsistent CSF-1 proliferative responses (57); also, BMM use
CSF-1 rather rapidly (45), and to avoid this potential artifact we
ensured in our studies that CSF-1 levels were maintained to sustain the
proliferative response. From our data, at least, an enhanced in vitro
proliferative response of MRL BMM to CSF-1 cannot be used to explain
the accumulation of macrophages in the kidneys of MRL/lpr
mice, as has been previously suggested (34). We also measured the rate
of CSF-1 internalization and degradation by MRL BMM and did not find
any differences with respect to these parameters for other BMM.
Interestingly, we did not find any differences in the survival of
MRL/lpr BMM upon removal of CSF-1 under our particular
culture conditions (Fig. 3
). Since hemopoietic cells (56), including
BMM (53) (see Footnote 4), appear to die by apoptosis in the absence of
growth factors, our data suggest that there is no inherent deficiency
in the apoptotic rate of CSF-1-starved MRL/lpr BMM compared
with those in other strains. Since from these results the
lpr mutation does not enhance survival, the Fas pathway
would not appear to be a major pathway involved in cell death in this
experimental system, in contrast to what has been reported for human
monocytes and macrophages (55).
We also reported above for MRL mice, as we have found previously using
BMM prepared from other mouse strains (36, 37, 38, 39), that TNF-
inhibited
CSF-1-stimulated BMM DNA synthesis over a wide range of conditions, an
observation that is not in agreement with a recent report (35). The
reason for this discrepancy is again unclear. We have indicated before
that the inhibitory effect of exogenous TNF-
on CSF-1-stimulated BMM
DNA synthesis was to a significant extent due to the action of
endogenous IFN-
ß production in response to this cytokine (57). The
enhanced stimulation by TNF-
of the CSF-1-induced MRL/lpr
BMM proliferation in vitro has been used as a model system to suggest
that simultaneous expression of TNF-
and CSF-1 in the
MRL/lpr kidney fosters macrophage accumulation (35). Our in
vitro data suggest that MRL/lpr BMM cannot be used to
support this concept. Therefore, at least by the criteria examined,
namely CSF-1 responsiveness, CSF-1 receptor dynamics, TNF-
sensitivity of the CSF-1 proliferative response, and apoptotic rate in
the absence of CSF-1, MRL BMM, which are an in vitro-derived cell
population, do not appear to be inherently abnormal. We propose that
other model systems besides CSF-1-stimulated BMM are therefore needed
to explain the altered properties of MRL/lpr macrophages (6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15) and to establish the putative role of CSF-1 in
MRL/lpr disease (4, 5).
In the studies reported here we found no obvious differences between the MRL/lpr and MRL+/+ macrophages; as mentioned in the introduction, MRL+/+ mice, which express intact Fas and Fas ligand proteins, uniformly acquire lupus-like disease, although one that is relatively mild and slow to progress (3, 6). These and other findings have indicated that defective events other than apoptosis are responsible for the initiation and maintenance of lupus (6). Some macrophage abnormalities have been reported to be specific for the MRL/lpr strain, i.e., absent from the MRL+/+ strain, while others have been found to be shared between MRL strains (6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15); the enhanced DNA synthesis responses of MRL peritoneal exudate macrophages in the absence of an added CSF described above belong to the latter category. These unusual proliferative responses of the elicited MRL macrophages presumably reflect differences in the circulating macrophage lineage cells (monocytes) that enter the inflamed site and, in turn, may reflect changes in hemopoietic organs such as spleen and bone marrow. There is evidence that a postnatal expansion of macrophage precursors may be a characteristic of murine systemic lupus erythematosus in MRL/lpr, NZB/NZW, and BXSB mice (7, 58). Our findings may be reflecting these differences; as discussed, whether they reflect inherent cellular changes or are a result of cell exposure to the autoimmune milieu await clarification (4, 5, 6, 12). Since MRL pathology increases with age, studies to explore the peritoneal macrophage changes as MRL mice develop would be of interest as would be analogous studies with other autoimmune mice.
| Acknowledgments |
|---|
| Footnotes |
|---|
2 Address correspondence and reprint requests to Prof. J. A. Hamilton, Inflammation Research Center, University of Melbourne, Department of Medicine, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Parkville, Victoria 3050 Australia. E-mail address: ![]()
3 Abbreviations used in this paper: M-CSF, macrophage CSF; GM-CSF, granulocyte-macrophage CSF; TM, thioglycollate medium; BMM, bone marrow-derived macrophages; BrdUrd, bromodeoxyuridine. ![]()
4 A. Jaworowski et al. 1998. Submitted for publication. ![]()
Received for publication June 2, 1998. Accepted for publication August 26, 1998.
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enhances colony-stimulating factor-1-induced macrophage accumulation in autoimmune renal disease. J. Immunol. 157:427.[Abstract]
, interferon-
and lipopolysaccharide is not due to a general loss of responsiveness to growth factor. J. Immunol. 146:3469.[Abstract]
, interferon-
and lipopolysaccharide. J. Cell. Physiol. 151:630.[Medline]
/ß suppresses CSF-1 stimulated macrophage DNA synthesis and mediates inhibitory effects of lipopolysaccharide and tumor necrosis factor-
. J. Immunol. 156:2553.[Abstract]
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