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*
Department of Immunology, Max-Planck-Institute for Infection Biology, Berlin, Germany;
Department of Internal Medicine, University of Saarland, Homburg, Germany; and
Departments of Medical Biophysics and Immunology, Ontario Cancer Institute and Amgen Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| Abstract |
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| Introduction |
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LFA-1 (CD11a/CD18) is a member of the ß2 integrin family of cell adhesion molecules, which is expressed exclusively on leukocytes, albeit at different levels, and is involved in numerous immunological functions, including cell migration into tissues (11). ICAM-1 (CD54) was initially identified as a ligand for LFA-1 (11). Evidence has been presented that NKT cells in the thymus and lymph nodes express ICAM-1 and high levels of LFA-1 (10, 12, 13). Liver NKT cells have also been shown to express ICAM-1 and high levels of LFA-1 by indirect means (3, 14, 15). These findings raise the question of whether these cell adhesion molecules are involved in the accumulation of NKT cells in the liver.
In the present study, we analyzed the proportions of CD4+NKT cells in the livers of different mouse strains deficient in the expression of adhesion molecules to clarify the role of these molecules in the accumulation of CD4+NKT cells to the liver. The proportion of CD4+NKT cells in the liver was markedly reduced in LFA-1-deficient mice, whereas marginal reduction was observed in ICAM-1-deficient mice. Migration of CD4+NKT cells to the liver was observed in wild-type (wt) mice that had been irradiated and reconstituted with thymocytes from LFA-1-deficient mice. In contrast, liver migration was not observed in LFA-1-deficient mice that had been irradiated and reconstituted with thymocytes from wt mice. Our results demonstrate that the LFA-1 expressed on liver cells other than CD4+NKT cells plays a pivotal role in the accumulation of CD4+NKT cells in the liver and suggest that ICAM-1 is not essential for the residence of CD4+NKT cells in the liver.
| Materials and Methods |
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Breeding pairs of H-2I-Aß (Aß)-/- mice were kindly provided by Dr. D. Mathis (Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moleculaire et Cellulaire, Strasboug, France) (16). C57BL/6 scid/scid (SCID), ß2m-/-, and ICAM-1-/- mice were purchased from The Jackson Laboratory (Bar Harbor, ME). LFA-1-/- mice were generated by homologous recombination using 129/J-derived ES cell lines as described previously (17). Mutant mice were backcrossed to C57BL/6 (ß2m-/-, Aß-/-, and ICAM-1-/-: >8 generations; LFA-1+/- and LFA-1-/-: 3 generations). These mutants, as well as Thy1.1 congenic C57BL/6 (Thy1 congenic) and C57BL/6 wt mice, were maintained under specific pathogen-free conditions at our animal facilities at the Federal Institute for Health Protection of Consumers and Veterinary Medicine (Berlin, Germany) and were used at 26 mo of age.
Monoclonal Abs
The following mAbs were purified from hybridoma culture
supernatants: anti-NK1.1 mAb (PK136), anti-Fc
R mAb (2.4G2),
anti-TCR
ß mAb (H57-597), and anti-CD4 mAb (YTS191.1).
Anti-NK1.1 mAb was biotinylated; anti-NK1.1 mAb, anti-TCR
ß
mAb, and anti-CD4 mAb were conjugated with FITC. Phycoerythrin
(PE)-conjugated anti-CD4 mAb (H129.19) and streptavidin
(SA)-conjugated Red 670 were purchased from Life Technologies
(Gaithersburg, MD). Biotinylated anti-CD11a (LFA-1
) mAb (M17/4),
FITC-conjugated anti-CD54 (ICAM-1) mAb (H9.2B8), FITC-conjugated
anti-CD90.1 (Thy1.1) mAb (HIS51), and PE-conjugated anti-CD90.2
(Thy1.2) mAb (53-2.1) were obtained from PharMingen (Hamburg, Germany).
Cell preparation and flow cytometry
Liver mononuclear cells (LMNCs) and intestinal intraepithelial
lymphocytes were prepared as described previously (3). Cells from the
thymus, spleen, lymph nodes, and bone marrow were prepared by
conventional methods. Peritoneal nonadherent cells were obtained as
described previously (18). Cells were stained with appropriate
dilutions of mAb. Biotinylated mAbs were visualized by SA-conjugated
Red 670. Before staining, cells were incubated with 50 µg/ml
anti-Fc
R mAb. Each staining step was performed at 4°C for 30
min; each washing step was performed with PBS containing 0.1% BSA and
0.1% sodium azide. After staining, cells were washed and subsequently
fixed with 1% paraformaldehyde. Stained cells were acquired by FACScan
(Becton Dickinson, Mountain View, CA), and lymphoid cells were
analyzed with CellQuest software.
Radiation and thymocyte transfer
Thy1 congenic (Thy1.1+, LFA-1+) or LFA-1-/- (Thy1.2+, LFA-1-) mice were irradiated at 600 rad and reconstituted on day 2 with 3 x 107 thymocytes from LFA-1-/- or Thy1 congenic mice, respectively. Mice were killed 2 days after reconstitution, and the proportions of CD4+NK1+ T cells that migrated to the liver were monitored with anti-Thy1.1 or anti-Thy1.2 mAb by flow cytometry. SCID mice received 3 x 107 thymocytes i.v. from LFA-1+/- or LFA-1-/- mice, and the proportions of CD4+NK1+ T cells that migrated to the liver were analyzed by flow cytometry 2 days after injection.
| Results |
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We first assessed the expression of NK1.1, ICAM-1, and LFA-1
molecules on CD4+ liver T cells. Consistent with previous
findings (2, 3), a high proportion of NK1-expressing cells was
identified within CD4+ liver T cells in C57BL/6 mice. This
cell population was markedly reduced in
ß2m-/- mice but remained virtually
unaffected in Aß-/- mice (Fig. 1
). CD4+ liver T cells
segregated into two main populations on the basis of ICAM-1 and LFA-1
expression: one population expressed ICAM-1 and/or high levels of
LFA-1; the other did not. The relative proportion of ICAM-1-expressing
CD4+ T cells and/or high levels of LFA-1-expressing
CD4+ T cells were markedly reduced in
ß2m-/- mice, but not in
Aß-/- mice (Fig. 1
). Virtually all
CD4+NK1+ T cells in the liver expressed ICAM-1
and high levels of LFA-1, whereas the majority of
CD4+NK1- liver T cells were devoid of ICAM-1
and expressed low levels of LFA-1 (Fig. 2
). Consistent with previous findings (2, 3), virtually all CD4+NK1+ liver T cells
expressed TCR
ß at an intermediate intensity (data not shown).
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Because CD4+NKT cells in the liver expressed ICAM-1
and high levels of LFA-1, we wondered whether these molecules were
involved in the accumulation of this cell population to the liver. To
address this issue, we used ICAM-1-/- or
LFA-1-/- mice. Representative results are shown in Fig. 3
, and the results from four to six mice
are summarized in Table I
. Although the
relative proportion of CD4+NK1+ T cells in the
liver was only slightly reduced in ICAM-1-/- mice, it was
markedly diminished in LFA-1-/- mice. The relative
proportion of CD4+NK1- T cells was not
affected by LFA-1 deficiency (see Fig. 3
). These results reveal that
LFA-1 rather than ICAM-1 is crucial for the accumulation of
CD4+NKT cells to the liver. The number of
CD4+NK1+ T cells was slightly reduced in the
livers of LFA-1+/- mice compared with C57BL/6 mice.
Because LFA-1 surface expression is slightly reduced in
LFA-1+/- mice compared with LFA-1+/+ mice
(17), we assume that the marginal reduction of CD4+NKT
cells in LFA-1+/- mice is caused by reduced
LFA-1 surface expression.
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To determine whether LFA-1 is involved in the development of
CD4+NKT cells, we assessed the presence of this cell
population in lymphoid organs. The relative proportion of
CD4+NK1+ T cells was virtually unaffected in
all lymphoid organs of LFA-1-/- mice compared with their
heterozygous littermates (Fig. 4
). We
even observed a slight increase in the lymph nodes, spleen, and bone
marrow of LFA-1-/- mice. These results suggest that LFA-1
is not involved in the development of CD4+NKT cells but
does play a central role in the recruitment of these cells to the
liver.
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We wondered which cell type expressing LFA-1 (CD4+NKT
cells or some other cells such as Kupffer cells, which have been found
to express LFA-1 (19)) regulates the accumulation of
CD4+NKT cells in the liver. Because virtually all
CD4+NKT cells have been shown to express Thy1 (1, 3), we
employed a reciprocal radiation thymocyte-reconstitution system with
Thy1 congenic and LFA-1-/- mice to address this
issue. As shown in Fig. 5
, a considerable
population of CD4+NK1+ T cells derived from
donor thymocytes (Thy1.2+) appeared in the livers of Thy1
congenic recipients that had been irradiated and reconstituted with
thymocytes from LFA-1-/- mice. Comparable
results were obtained using C57BL/6 or Thy1 congenic mice that had been
irradiated and reconstituted with thymocytes from Thy1 congenic or
C57BL/6 mice, respectively (data not shown). In contrast, donor
thymocyte-derived CD4+NK1+ T cells
(Thy1.1+) were rare in the livers of LFA-1-/-
mice that had been irradiated and reconstituted with thymocytes from
Thy1 congenic mice. Note that the migration efficiency of donor
thymocytes to livers was similar in the two groups (Fig. 5
). Consistent
with these results, the proportions of donor thymocyte-derived
CD4+NK1+ T cells in the livers of SCID mice
that had received thymocytes from LFA-1+/- or
LFA-1-/- mice were comparable (data not shown).
These results suggest that the accumulation of
CD4+NK1+ T cells in the liver is
regulated by LFA-1 expressed on liver cells other than
CD4+NKT cells, although CD4+NKT cells express
high levels of LFA-1 themselves.
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| Discussion |
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There is still controversy regarding whether NKT cells develop in a thymus-dependent or -independent manner (1). Because a markedly higher proportion of NKT cells has been identified in the liver compared with other organs (2, 3), it is possible that the liver is the major site for NKT cell development. Our data show that the accumulation of CD4+NKT cells in the liver is regulated by LFA-1 expression, suggesting accumulation to the liver of these cells or their precursors. Although one group has claimed higher numbers of NKT cells in the livers of nu/nu mice (20, 21, 22), other investigators including us were not able to identify NKT cells in nu/nu mice (1, 3, 23). Moreover, one study shows the development of NKT cells in fetal thymic organ cultures, and another report shows the requirement of CD1-expressing double-positive cortical thymocytes for the generation of NKT cells, suggesting thymus-dependent development (4, 6). While this work was under review, a paper was published in which the rapid regeneration of peripheral NKT cells was achieved via proliferation in the bone marrow after in vivo administration of anti-CD3 mAb or IL-12 even in the absence of the thymus (24). It is possible that bone marrow NKT cells proliferate and maintain homeostasis of peripheral NKT cells even in the absence of the thymus. However, it remains unclear whether NKT cell development in bone marrow is thymus-dependent under normal conditions. Our data show that thymic NKT cells migrate to the liver, suggesting that the thymus provides a reservoir for NKT cells in the periphery, at least in the liver. A comparison of CD1 expression on double-positive thymocytes from LFA-1+/- and LFA-1-/- mice revealed no difference (M.E., unpublished observation). Moreover, in thymus and peripheral lymphoid organs, the numbers of CD4+NKT cells were not reduced. These results not only exclude the possibility that the reduction of CD4+NKT cells in LFA-1-/- mice involves CD1, but also suggest that CD4+NKT cells develop normally in the absence of LFA-1.
In summary, our data indicate a crucial role for LFA-1 in the accumulation of CD4+NKT cells in the liver. Although CD4+NKT cells express high levels of LFA-1, we find that LFA-1 on CD4+NKT cells is not required for liver accumulation. Rather, we demonstrate that LFA-1 on liver cells other than CD4+NKT cells is crucial for accumulation of the latter in the liver. Because Kupffer cells express LFA-1, they represent candidates for these cells (19).
| Acknowledgments |
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| Footnotes |
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2 Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. Stefan H. E. Kaufmann, Max-Planck-Institute for Infection Biology, Monbijoustrasse 2, 10117 Berlin, Germany. E-mail address: ![]()
3 Abbreviations used in this paper: ß2m, ß2-microglobulin; Aß, H-2I-Aß; LMNC, liver mononuclear cell; PE, phycoerythrin; SA, streptavidin; wt, wild type. ![]()
Received for publication December 4, 1998. Accepted for publication February 5, 1999.
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