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Signaling Chain of Fc
R in Human Macrophages: A Possible Mechanism for Inhibition of Phagocytosis1


,

*
AIDS Pathogenesis Research Unit, Macfarlane Burnet Center,
National Center for HIV Virology Research; Departments of
Medicine and
Biochemistry, Monash University, and
¶ Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| Abstract |
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R-mediated phagocytosis by human
monocyte-derived macrophages (MDM) is inhibited by HIV-1 infection in
vitro, and the underlying mechanism was investigated in this
study. Inhibition of phagocytosis directly correlated with the
multiplicity of HIV-1 infection. Expression of surface Fc
Rs was
unaffected by HIV-1 infection, suggesting that inhibition of
phagocytosis occurred during or after receptor binding. HIV-1 infection
of MDM markedly inhibited tyrosine phosphorylation of the cellular
proteins, which occurs following engagement of Fc
Rs, suggesting a
defect downstream of initial receptor activation. Fc
R-mediated
phagocytosis in HIV-infected MDM was associated with inhibition of
phosphorylation of tyrosine kinases from two different families, Hck
and Syk, defective formation of Syk complexes with other
tyrosine-phosphorylated proteins, and inhibition of paxillin
activation. Down-modulation of protein expression but not mRNA of the
signaling subunit of Fc
R (a docking site for Syk) was observed
in HIV-infected MDM. Infection of MDM with a construct of HIV-1 in
which nef was replaced with the gene for the
signaling subunit augmented Fc
R-mediated phagocytosis, suggesting
that down-modulation of
-chain protein expression in HIV-infected
MDM caused the defective Fc
R-mediated signaling and impairment of
phagocytosis. This study is the first to demonstrate a specific
alteration in phagocytosis signal transduction pathway, which provides
a mechanism for the observed impaired Fc
R-mediated phagocytosis in
HIV-infected macrophages and contributes to the understanding of how
HIV-1 impairs cell-mediated immunity leading to HIV-1 disease
progression. | Introduction |
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The HIV-1-encoded proteins Nef, Vif, Vpr, and Rev have been shown to
modulate a number of signaling pathways via interactions with
cytoskeletal (8, 9, 10, 11) and cytoplasmic proteins
(12, 13, 14, 15, 16). These interactions include cellular proteins and
kinases that are also involved in Fc
R-mediated phagocytosis, e.g.,
the Src kinases, Hck and Lyn (12, 13, 17, 18),
p21-activated kinase (14, 15), the guanine
nucleotide-exchange factor, Vav (19), and actin
(10). HIV-1 impairs Fc
R-mediated phagocytosis
(5), and the mechanism is unknown, although studies using
the promonocytic U937 cell line suggest that inhibition occurs via a
cAMP-dependent mechanism (20).
The receptors for the constant region of IgG (Fc
RI, Fc
RII, and
Fc
RIII) are the major means by which cells of macrophage lineage
recognize IgG-opsonized pathogens, thereby triggering phagocytosis and
Ab-dependent cellular cytotoxicity. Peripheral blood monocytes express
mainly the high-affinity Fc
RI (CD64) and a low-affinity Fc
RII,
whereas macrophages also express Fc
RIIIA (CD16A; reviewed in Ref.
21). Fc
R-mediated internalization of IgG-opsonized
particles requires tyrosine phosphorylation of proteins and involves
activation of several kinases and their substrates. Most studies to
date have examined these pathways in murine macrophages or cell lines
transfected with Fc
R (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27). Following clustering of
Fc
Rs, tyrosine kinases from the Src family associated with
-chain
of Fc
R (including Hck and Lyn) are activated (28, 29),
leading to a rapid and transient phosphorylation of immunoreceptor
tyrosine-based activation motifs
(ITAMs)4 present on
the
signaling subunits associated with Fc
RI and Fc
RIII or on
the cytoplasmic domain of Fc
RII (30). Phosphorylation
of ITAMs create docking sites for Syk, which is subsequently activated
by phosphorylation (27, 31). An absolute and specific
requirement for Syk in Fc
R-mediated phagocytosis has been shown by
gene knockout studies (32). Activation of Syk results in
phosphorylation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (33) and
localized accumulation of kinases such as focal adhesion kinase (FAK)
and cytoskeletal substrates, including actin-binding proteins paxillin,
vinculin, talin, and
-actinin (23, 26, 34), leading to
cytoskeletal rearrangement and phagocytosis of the opsonized particles.
Recently, we have reported that the early signaling events during
Fc
R-mediated phagocytosis by human monocyte-derived macrophages
(MDM) also involve tyrosine phosphorylation of cellular proteins,
including Hck, Syk, Pyk-2 (a member of FAK family), and paxillin
(35).
This study examines the mechanism by which HIV-1 inhibits
Fc
R-mediated phagocytosis in human MDM. Our results show that
defective phagocytosis by HIV-infected MDM is due, at least in part, to
decreased expression of the
signaling subunit of the Fc
R, which
leads to specific signaling defects downstream of Fc
Rs.
| Materials and Methods |
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Human monocytes were isolated from buffy coats of HIV-, hepatitis B virus-, and human T cell leukemia virus-seronegative blood donors (supplied by the Red Cross Blood Bank, Melbourne, Australia) by Ficoll-Paque (Amersham Pharmacia Biotech, Uppsala, Sweden) density gradient centrifugation and plastic adherence as previously described (36). Cell viability was >95% and the purity of monocytes was >90% as determined by immunofluorescent staining with anti-CD14 mAb (BD Biosciences, Mountain View, CA) and analysis by flow cytometry (FACStarPlus; BD Biosciences). Monocytes were cultured in IMDM (Cytosystem, Castle Hill, Australia) supplemented with 10% heat-inactivated human AB+ serum, 2 mM L-glutamine, and 24 µg/ml gentamicin (supplemented Iscoves medium) in suspension in polytetrafluorethylene (Teflon) jars (Savillix, Minnetonka, MN) at an initial concentration of 1 x 106 cells/ml.
HIV-1 infection of MDM
On day 5 postisolation, MDM were infected with the M-tropic
strain of HIV-1Ba-L (AIDS Research and Reference
Reagent Program, Division of AIDS, National Institute of Allergy and
Infectious Disease, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD) at a
multiplicity of infection (MOI) of 0.11 for 2 h as described
previously (37). In selected experiments, MDM were
infected at different MOIs, ranging from 0.1 to 3, to assess the role
of HIV-1 input on Fc
R-mediated phagocytosis. Control cells were
mock-infected and cultured under identical conditions. HIV-1
replication in MDM was quantified by monitoring reverse transcriptase
(RT) activity using a micro RT assay on day 7 postinfection
(38). Under the conditions used in our experiments, HIV-1
infection of MDM at varying MOIs was not associated with decreased
viability of the cells when assessed by trypan blue exclusion,
decreased MDM numbers, or morphologic changes. All the reagents, viral
stocks, and culture supernatants tested in this study were negative for
LPS contamination (<0.5 U/ml) using the limulus amebocyte lysate assay
(BioWhittaker, Walkersville, MD).
Flow cytometric analysis of Fc
RI, II, and III expression
MDM on day 7 postinfection were analyzed for surface expression
of Fc
RsI (CD64), Fc
RII (CD32), and Fc
RIII (CD16). Cells were
stained with mAb directed against CD64 conjugated to PE (1 µg/ml;
Serotec, Raleigh, NC), CD32 conjugated to FITC (1 µg/ml; Serotec),
and CD16 conjugated to CyChrome (1 µg/ml; BD PharMingen, San Diego,
CA) on ice for 30 min, followed by a wash in calcium- and
magnesium-free PBS (PBS-CMF). The mean fluorescence of monocytes
expressing Fc
Rs was quantified by flow cytometric analysis. Cells
were also stained with isotype-matched controls conjugated to the
appropriate fluorochrome.
Intracellular staining of
-chain of Fc
Rs
The intracellular
-chain staining was determined in
uninfected and HIV-infected MDM on day 7 postinfection. Cells were
fixed in 3% ultrapure formaldehyde for 45 min, followed by two washes
in 0.1 M glycine in PBS-CMF and permeabilization in 0.1% Triton X for
1 min. MDM were washed twice in PBS-CMF containing 1% FCS and stained
for intracellular
-chain using rabbit anti-
subunit (TCR and
FcR) polyclonal Ab (1 µg/ml; Upstate Biotechnology, Lake Placid, NY)
or rabbit IgG control (1 µg/ml; Upstate Biotechnology), followed by
two washes in cold (4°C) PBS-CMF and incubation with sheep
anti-rabbit IgG conjugated to FITC (SILENUS Laboratories,
Melbourne, Australia). All staining procedures were performed in the
presence of 50% FCS to reduce the level of nonspecific staining. The
fluorescence for intracellular
-chain was quantified by flow
cytometric analysis, converted to molecules of equivalent soluble
fluorochrome units, and corrected for background fluorescence.
Opsonization of target particles
Target particles were opsonized immediately before the phagocytosis assay as previously reported (35). Briefly, sheep RBC (E; ICN-Cappel, Aurora, OH) were opsonized with rabbit anti-E Ab (ICN-Cappel), whereas latex beads (3 µm in diameter; Sigma-Aldrich, St. Louis, MO) were coated with BSA (Sigma-Aldrich), washed, and opsonized with rabbit anti-BSA antiserum (ICN-Cappel).
Phagocytosis assay using IgG-opsonized sheep RBC (E-IgG)
On day 7 postinfection, MDM were plated onto 96-well plates (Costar, Cambridge, MA) at 5 x 104 cells per well in 100 µl of supplemented Iscoves medium and were allowed to adhere for 2 h at 37°C. IgG-opsonized or unopsonized E were added to adhered MDM at a E:MDM ratio of 10:1. The plate was centrifuged at 100 x g for 5 min at 4°C and was then placed at 37°C for phagocytosis to proceed. Phagocytosis was terminated after 10 min by washing cells with cold (4°C) PBS and was quantified by a colorimetric assay (35, 39). In selected experiments, MDM on day 7 postisolation were incubated with 8'bromo-cAMP (Sigma-Aldrich) at concentrations ranging from 0.1 µM to 1 mM at 37°C for 30 min or 48 h before phagocytosis assay.
Phagocytosis assays using IgG-opsonized beads
MDM (1 x 106 cells) were dispensed
into 4-ml polypropylene tubes (BD Biosciences, Franklin Lakes,
NJ), washed twice in PBS-CMF (500 x g for 5
min), and cooled on ice for 20 min in 100 µl of PBS-CMF. Cells were
incubated with or without IgG-opsonized beads (target:MDM ratio of
10:1) at 37°C in a shaking water bath. At specified time points,
phagocytosis was arrested by plunging the tubes into ice and washing
MDM in ice-cold PBS-CMF, followed by centrifugation at 20,000 x
g for 45 s. For immunoblotting and immunoprecipitation
experiments, cells were lysed in 100 µl of Triton lysis buffer
containing 25 mM Tris-HCl (pH 7.5), 0.14 M NaCl, 1 mM EDTA, and 1%
Triton X-100, supplemented with the following phosphatase inhibitors:
50 mM NaF, 1 mM sodium orthovanadate (Sigma-Aldrich), and 40 mM
-glycerophosphate (Sigma-Aldrich), and protease inhibitors: 1 mM
pefabloc, 1 µM pepstatin, and 1 µM leupeptin (Boehringer Mannheim,
Mannheim, Germany).
Immunoblotting and immunoprecipitation
MDM extracts containing equal amounts of proteins, as determined
by detergent-compatible protein assay (Bio-Rad, Hercules, CA),
were boiled in SDS sample buffer (10 mM Tris (pH 8), 2 mM EDTA, 1%
SDS, 5% 2-ME, and 5% glycerol), resolved by 10% SDS-PAGE,
transferred to nitrocellulose, and blocked for 2 h in 3% BSA. The
blots were probed with Abs directed against phosphotyrosine (RC20; BD
Transduction Laboratories, Lexington, KY), Syk (Santa Cruz
Biotechnology, Santa Cruz, CA), paxillin (BD Transduction
Laboratories), Hck (a gift from Dr. H.C. Cheng, Department of
Biochemistry, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia), and
-chain of Fc
R (Upstate Biotechnology) overnight at 4°C,
followed by secondary Ab conjugated with HRP (Amersham Pharmacia
Biotech, Little Chalfont, Buckinghamshire, U.K.), and they were then
developed for ECL according to manufacturers instructions. To
determine the phosphorylation of Hck, Syk, and paxillin during
Fc
R-mediated phagocytosis, cell lysates were immunoprecipitated with
the appropriate Ab overnight at 4°C, collected with 15 µl of
protein G-Sepharose beads (a 1-h incubation at 4°C; Pharmacia
Biotech, Uppsala, Sweden), washed five times in Triton lysis buffer,
boiled in SDS sample buffer, resolved by 10% SDS-PAGE, and probed with
anti-phosphotyrosine Ab (RC20) conjugated to HRP.
mRNA extraction and amplification of
signaling subunit
mRNA was extracted from MDM lysates (prepared on day 7
postinfection) using oligo(dT)25 beads
(Dynabeads; Dynal Biotech, Carlton South, Australia) and was
subsequently converted to cDNA as previously reported
(38). To check for cDNA contamination samples prepared
without avian myeloblastosis virus-RT were included within each
experiment. For PCR, 2-fold dilutions were made using equal amounts of
cDNA based on GAPDH levels determined by real-time PCR as previously
described (40). PCR for
-actin was performed to confirm
equal template levels (41). Reactions were performed in a
total of 50 µl comprised of 0.2 mM each dNTP, 1.5 mM
MgCl2, 0.4 µM each primer, 1.1 U of
Taq polymerase (PerkinElmer/Cetus, Norwalk, CT), and 1x
reaction buffer (PerkinElmer/Cetus). The
-chain primer set amplified
172 bp of the human
-chain cDNA sequence (GenBank accession no.
NM004106) with the sequences 5'-GAGCCTCAGCTCTGCTATATCC-3' and
5'-TCTCGTAAGTCTCCTGGTTCC-3'. Samples were first denatured at 95°C
for 2 min and were then amplified for 25 cycles of 95°C for 30
s, 55°C for 30 s, and 72°C for 1 min, with a final extension
step at 72°C for 7 min. PCR products were analyzed by 2% agarose gel
electrophoresis and ethidium bromide staining.
Construction of [NL(AD8)
nef-
+]
The DNA constructs [pNL(AD8)] and
[pNL(AD8)
nef] were prepared by substituting the
respective envelope coding DNA sequences from NL4.3 and
NL4.3
nef with monocytotropic AD8 envelope coding
sequences, converting a T-tropic virus to M-tropic as previously
described (5). The
[NL(AD8)
nef-
+] plasmid was
constructed using stitch PCR mutagenesis. HIV-1 sense f1 primer Rev
8392S 5'-GGGGACCCGACAGGCCCG-3' and HIV-1 antisense f1 primer
5'-GAGCAAGACCACTGCTGGAATCATCTTATAGCAAAATCCTTTCCAAGC-3' were
used to amplify a 390-bp HIV-1 f1 fragment immediately upstream of Nef.
-Chain sense f2 primer
5'-GCTTGGAAAGGATTTTGCTATAAGATGATTCCAGCAGTGGTCTTGCTC-3' and
antisense f2 primer
5'-CCCCTCGAGACGCGTCTACTGTGGTGGTTTCTCATGCTTCAG-3' were used to
amplify a 300-bp of
-chain coding f2 fragment. HIV-1 f1 and
-chain f2 fragments were joined by PCR extension as previously
described (42). The resulting PCR-amplified fragment was
cloned into the [NL(AD8)
nef] proviral DNA via
restriction sites BamHI and XhoI. DNA sequencing
has been performed to ensure the presence of
-chain in this mutant
proviral DNA and the absence of spontaneous mutations. The production
of [NL(AD8)], [NL(AD8)
nef] viruses, and
[NL(AD8)
nef-
+] particles was
achieved by introducing 10 µg of protein into 293T cells by the
calcium-phosphate transfection method as previously described
(42).
Statistical analysis
The significance of the effects of HIV-1 and cAMP on
Fc
R-mediated phagocytosis, down-modulation of
-chain in
HIV-infected MDM, and the augmentation of phagocytosis by
[NL(AD8)
nef-
+] construct were
assessed using the Students paired t test. A value of
p = 0.05 was used to reject null hypothesis.
| Results |
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R-mediated phagocytosis via a
postreceptor-mediated mechanism
In vitro infection of MDM with HIV-1 inhibited phagocytosis of
IgG-opsonized E (mean inhibition of 50.3 ± 4.3%,
n = 33, p < 0.001) as assessed on day
7 postinfection (Fig. 1
A). The
inhibition of phagocytosis was found in 31 of 33 donors and ranged from
18 to 91%. The percentage of inhibition of phagocytosis expressed as
the phagocytic index in this study was similar to those previously
reported by our group when phagocytosis was assessed as the percentage
of MDM phagocytosing the fluorescent targets (mean of 51.5% inhibition
for n = 10 (Ref. 5) or mean of 38.7%
inhibition for n = 10 (Ref. 4)).
|
R-mediated phagocytosis, MDM from the same
donor were infected at increasing MOIs. Phagocytosis was inhibited
progressively with increased MOI in MDM cultures, indicating a direct
effect of HIV-1 replication on the phagocytic capacity of macrophages
(Fig. 1
Rs: Fc
RI (CD64), Fc
RII (CD32), or Fc
RIII
(CD16; p = 0.22, 0.84, and 0.09, respectively,
n = 5) at the time of phagocytosis, suggesting that
inhibition of phagocytosis occurs during or after receptor binding
(Fig. 2
|
R-mediated phagocytosis is not mediated
via a cAMP-dependent mechanism
As a cAMP-dependent mechanism has been proposed as the cause of
poor Fc
R-mediated phagocytosis in the promonocytic U937 cell line
latently infected with HIV-1 (20), we initially
investigated whether a cAMP-dependent mechanism might be responsible
for the inhibition of phagocytosis in MDM infected with HIV-1. However,
incubation of MDM with a nonmetabolized cAMP analog, 8'bromo-cAMP for
either 30 min (p > 0.05, n =
5) or 48 h (p > 0.05, n =
4) did not inhibit Fc
R-mediated phagocytosis by human MDM (Table I
).
|
R-mediated phagocytosis by HIV-infected MDM
Because Fc
R-mediated internalization of IgG-opsonized beads by
human MDM requires rapid phosphorylation of tyrosine residues in a
range of proteins (35), the effects of HIV-1 on tyrosine
phosphorylation triggered by binding of IgG-opsonized targets was
assessed. A range of cellular proteins was rapidly phosphorylated (by a
2-min exposure to IgG-particles) in MDM exposed to IgG-opsonized beads,
and phosphorylation reached a peak between 2 and 5 min (Fig. 3
A). HIV-1 infection of MDM
inhibited Fc
R-triggered tyrosine phosphorylation of cellular
proteins, suggesting a defect downstream to initial receptor
activation. Inhibition of tyrosine phosphorylation in HIV-infected MDM
correlated with markedly impaired phagocytosis (Fig. 3
B). In
some cultures, HIV-infected MDM displayed a relatively high basal level
of tyrosine phosphorylation, but an increase in tyrosine
phosphorylation was never observed during Fc
R-mediated phagocytosis
by those cells.
|
R-mediated phagocytosis is impaired at a step upstream of Hck,
Syk, and paxillin
We then assessed the effect of HIV-1 on specific tyrosine kinases
necessary for Fc
R-mediated phagocytosis and their substrates. HIV-1
infection of MDM inhibited phosphorylation of tyrosine kinases from two
different families, Hck (a Src family member; 58 kDa; Fig. 4
A) and Syk (72 kDa; Fig. 4
B). HIV-1 infection also impaired formation of
Fc
R-stimulated Syk complexes with other tyrosine-phosphorylated
proteins (molecular mass of 38, 42, 48, 52, 58, 64, and 95 kDa;
Fig. 4
B). HIV-infected MDM also displayed reduced
phosphorylation of paxillin (an adapter protein that localizes to focal
adhesions and is a substrate for Src and FAK family kinases; 68 kDa)
during phagocytosis (Fig. 4
C). The input of Hck, Syk, and
paxillin proteins was standardized according to protein estimations in
each lysate. Protein levels are shown by reprobing with relevant Abs
where possible (Fig. 4
, B and C, lower
panels). Reprobing of the blots with anti-Hck Ab was
not feasible, as a broad band of Ig H chain (55 kDa) interfered with
the Hck band (58 kDa).
|
R-mediated phagocytosis by HIV-infected MDM is associated with
down-modulation of Fc
-chain protein expression
Although the surface expression of Fc
Rs was not altered by
HIV-1, the protein tyrosine phosphorylation data suggest a defect
upstream of Hck and Syk, at the level of the
signaling subunit of
Fc
R. HIV-1 infection-reduced protein levels of the
ITAM-containing
-chain of Fc
R were demonstrated by immunoblot
analysis of Triton X-100 soluble lysates from HIV-1-infected MDM when
compared with lysates obtained from uninfected MDM and standardized
according to total protein levels (Fig. 5
A). Intracellular staining
using anti-
-chain Ab confirmed these results and demonstrated a
significant decrease in intracellular levels of the Fc
R
signaling subunit in HIV-infected MDM (mean inhibition of 57.3 ±
12.3%; p = 0.009, n = 4) compared with
uninfected MDM (Fig. 5
, B and C).
|
-chain mRNA levels in MDM infected with HIV-1 when compared with
uninfected controls (Fig. 6
-chain at the mRNA level. Input of
cDNA was standardized according to GADPH levels as assessed by
real-time PCR (data not shown) and confirmed by conventional PCR using
-actin-specific primers (Fig. 6
|
nef] HIV-1 inhibited
Fc
R-mediated phagocytosis (p = 0.003 and
0.01, respectively; n = 5). In marked contrast,
infection of MDM with a nef-deleted HIV-1 with the gene for
the
-chain of Fc
R
[NL(AD8)
nef-
+] inserted in the
nef site augmented Fc
R-mediated phagocytosis
(p = 0.045, n = 5) and
partially restored the phagocytic capacity of HIV-infected MDM (mean
restoration of 35.2 ± 15.8%; Fig. 7
nef-
+] virus was
associated with increased protein levels of the
-chain as assessed
by immunoblotting (Fig. 7
nef]
(p = 0.48, n = 5) or
[NL(AD8)
nef-
+]
(p = 0.89; n = 5; Fig. 7
|
| Discussion |
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R-mediated phagocytosis, resulting from
inhibition of tyrosine phosphorylation of cellular proteins stimulated
during phagocytosis. We have specifically demonstrated inhibition of
activation of Hck, Syk, and paxillin. Upstream of Hck and Syk, we found
decreased protein expression of the
signaling subunit of Fc
R in
HIV-infected MDM, suggesting that HIV-1 inhibits phagocytosis via
interference with
-chain-specific signaling events within human MDM.
Thus, our finding of reduced protein levels of the ITAM-containing
signaling subunit in HIV-infected MDM is likely to be responsible for
the defective phagocytosis by these cells. To our knowledge, this
study is the first to report inhibition of tyrosine phosphorylation and
signaling events underlying defective effector function in HIV-infected
macrophages.
We and others (5, 43, 44, 45) have previously reported
impaired Fc
R-mediated phagocytosis by human monocytes and
macrophages following HIV-1 infection, although the mechanism of
inhibition was unknown. The inhibition of Fc
R-mediated phagocytosis
was not strain-specific, as consistent impairment of this function was
observed when MDM were infected in vitro with either
HIV-1Ba-L (Fig. 1
),
HIV-1NL43(AD8) (Fig. 7
A),
HIV-1DV (3), or a primary isolate
amplified from a member of the Sydney Blood Bank Cohort
(5). The majority of previous reports
(44, 45, 46, 47), confirmed by our own observations, showed that
HIV-1 infection did not change surface expression of Fc
Rs,
indicating that the inhibition of phagocytosis results from a signaling
defect downstream of Fc
Rs. Thomas et al. (20) showed
that inhibition of Fc
R-mediated phagocytosis is mediated via a
cAMP-dependent mechanism in the promonocytic U937 cell line latently
infected with HIV-1. This was established by showing that pretreatment
of these cells with 8'bromo-cAMP for 48 h before phagocytosis
significantly decreased their functional capacity. However, in primary
human MDM, our results showed that Fc
R-mediated phagocytosis is not
inhibited by the presence of 8'bromo-cAMP. Similarly, dibutryl cAMP
inhibited complement-mediated phagocytosis but not Fc
R-mediated
phagocytosis in human MDM (48), suggesting that elevated
cAMP levels resulting from HIV-1 infection (20, 49) are
not responsible for impaired Fc
R-mediated phagocytosis. However, it
is possible that cAMP inhibits Fc
R-mediated phagocytosis in the
promonocytic U937 cell line via affecting the differentiation of U937
cells, rather than inhibiting phagocytosis per se.
Our data showing inhibition of tyrosine phosphorylation of any cellular
proteins following stimulation with IgG-opsonized targets in
HIV-infected MDM suggested dysfunction at an early stage in
Fc
R-mediated signaling. Further results confirmed this hypothesis
and showed impaired phosphorylation of the tyrosine kinases Hck and Syk
during phagocytosis by HIV-infected MDM. Specific requirements for both
Hck (associated with
-chain of Fc
Rs) and Syk in Fc
R-mediated
phagocytosis have been demonstrated in numerous studies using knockout
mice, monocytic cell lines, and human MDM (32, 35, 50, 51, 52). Although defective activation of either Syk or Hck in
HIV-infected macrophages has not been previously reported, structural
and functional defects of Lck and Fyn (members of Src kinases) as well
as ZAP-70 (analog of Syk) have been observed in T cells from
HIV-infected individuals (53). The interaction of Hck with
HIV-1-encoded proteins such as Nef and Vif is known to modulate its
kinase activity (16, 54, 55), thereby potentially
interfering with signaling events involved in Fc
R-mediated
phagocytosis.
Syk activation is absolutely essential for phagocytosis, as it couples
phagocytosis-promoting Fc
Rs to rearrangements in the actin-based
cytoskeleton (32). Therefore, impaired Syk phosphorylation
triggered by Fc
R engagement would inhibit Syk-mediated activation of
substrates required for actin polymerization and cytoskeletal
rearrangement, thereby inhibiting phagocytosis (56).
Paxillin, a potential downstream effector of Syk, has been shown to
interact with proteins involved in actin reorganization, including
vinculin, talin, and
-actinin (57). Consistent with our
data showing inhibition of Syk phosphorylation, HIV-infected MDM
displayed reduced phosphorylation of paxillin during phagocytosis
compared with uninfected MDM.
Upstream of Hck, Syk, and paxillin, we found reduced levels of
ITAM-containing
signaling subunit of Fc
R, not associated with an
effect on surface expression of either Fc
RI, Fc
RII, or
Fc
RIIIA. The
-chain of Fc
R is not a prerequisite for transient
expression of surface Fc
Rs, but it is important for their stable
expression (58, 59). However, the cytoplasmic
-chain of
Fc
Rs is critical for Syk activation and subsequent signaling events
resulting in Fc
R-mediated phagocytosis (24, 30).
Deletion of the intracellular
-chain of Fc
R markedly impairs
phagocytosis, despite unchanged surface receptor level
(60). Thus, our finding of reduced protein levels of the
ITAM-containing
signaling subunit in HIV-infected MDM is likely to
be responsible for the defective phagocytosis by these cells. The
HIV-induced down-regulation of
-chain expression was specific for
this subunit, as levels of other signaling molecules downstream Fc
Rs
viz Syk and paxillin were not affected. As
-chain mRNA levels were
unaltered, we concluded that HIV-1 inhibited
-chain expression at a
post-transcriptional point. This contrasts with T cells where HIV-1
infection reduces the levels of mRNA for the homologous CD3-
chain
(61) and CD3-
chain (62). To determine the
exact site of HIV-induced down-modulation of the
-chain protein, but
not mRNA levels, additional experiments investigating levels of
-chain protein synthesis, transport, or degradation need to be
performed. This work is currently ongoing in our laboratory.
Our data confirmed that a functional nef gene was not
essential for inhibition of Fc
R-mediated phagocytosis, as previously
reported by our group (5). Infection of MDM with a
nef-deleted HIV-1 expressing the
-chain of Fc
R
augmented Fc
R-mediated phagocytosis, supporting our claim
that reduced expression of the
signaling subunit of Fc
R may be
responsible for impaired Fc
R-mediated phagocytosis in HIV-infected
MDM. The increased phagocytic capacity in MDM infected with the HIV-1
construct expressing the
-chain was consistent with increased
protein levels of the
-chain. As it was impossible to control the
level of
-chain protein input in our system, it was not possible to
rigorously correlate phagocytic efficiency of macrophages and
-chain
levels. If HIV-1 infection impairs Fc
R-mediated phagocytosis at more
than one level along the signaling pathway, any HIV-induced phagocytic
defect would not be completely restored by overexpression of
-chain
protein.
Taken together, these data suggest that the mechanism of inhibition of
Fc
R-mediated phagocytosis in HIV-infected MDM occurs upstream of
Hck, Syk, and paxillin activation and is associated with decreased
protein expression of the
-chain signaling subunit of Fc
R. It
provides the first possible mechanism of defective cellular activation
in HIV-infected macrophages not only during phagocytosis, but
potentially also underlying other functions mediated via Fc
R.
Impaired Fc
R-mediated signaling may explain why HIV-infected
macrophages fail to control opportunistic pathogens such as T.
gondii (63) and provides potential therapeutic
targets for immunomodulatory therapies for the treatment of AIDS via
restoration of host defense.
| Acknowledgments |
|---|
| Footnotes |
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2 S.M.C. and A.J. contributed equally to this paper. ![]()
3 Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. Anthony Jaworowski, AIDS Pathogenesis Research Unit, Macfarlane Burnet Center, Yarra Bend Road, Fairfield, Victoria, Australia 3078. E-mail address: anthonyj{at}burnet.edu.au ![]()
4 Abbreviations used in this paper: ITAM, immunoreceptor tyrosine-based activation motif; FAK, focal adhesion kinase; MDM, monocyte-derived macrophage; MOI, multiplicity of infection; RT, reverse transcriptase. ![]()
Received for publication October 29, 2001. Accepted for publication January 8, 2002.
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