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CUTTING EDGE |
Defensin 3A Novel Antagonist of the HIV-1 Coreceptor CXCR41

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* Department of Biological Sciences, Case School of Dental Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106;
Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Case School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH; and
Department of Medicine, and
Center for AIDS Research, Case Western Reserve University/University Hospitals, Cleveland, OH 44106
| Abstract |
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-defensins (hBD)-2 and -3 block HIV-1 replication via a direct interaction with virions and through modulation of the CXCR4 coreceptor on immunocompetent cells. In the present study, we show that hBD-3 promotes directly the internalization of CXCR4 yet does not induce calcium flux, ERK (ERK-1/2) phosphorylation, or chemotaxis. hBD-3 competes with stromal-derived factor 1 (SDF-1), the natural ligand for CXCR4, for cellular binding and blocks SDF-1-induced calcium flux, ERK-1/2 phosphorylation, and chemotaxis, without effects on other G protein-coupled receptors. The novel activity of this endogenous CXCR4 antagonist may provide a new strategy for HIV therapies or immunomodulation. Moreover, since the SDF-1/CXCR4 axis plays an important role in hemopoiesis, neurogenesis, cardiogenesis, and angiogenesis, endogenous agents such as hBD-3 or its derivatives offer a new paradigm in immunoregulatory therapeutics and provide the opportunity to enhance future drug design. | Introduction |
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-defensins (hBDs),3
4- to 5-kDa cationic, amphipathic peptides with antimicrobial and immunosurveillance properties (1, 2, 3), there is reason to propose that these innate defense peptides may function not only to protect the host against microbial pathogens at the mucosal barrier, but also to marshal adaptive host immune responses to both prevent and clear infection. Our previous studies demonstrated that HIV-1 induces hBD-2 and -3 expression in human oral epithelial cells and that these peptides block HIV-1 replication via a direct interaction with virions and through modulation of CXCR4, the coreceptor used by HIV-1 X4 isolates to infect target cells (4). The present study explored the mechanism of the interaction between hBD-3 and CXCR4. We found that this peptide could compete with stromal-derived factor 1 (SDF-1), the CXCR4 ligand, for binding to cells and also could induce internalization of CXCR4 in immunocompetent cells without promoting calcium mobilization, activation of ERK-1/2 MAPK, or chemotaxis. This activity was specific for CXCR4 since there was no inhibition of calcium mobilization as a result of RANTES, fMLP, ATP, or carbachol binding to their respective receptors. | Materials and Methods |
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CEM X4/R5 cells (human T cell line expressing CXCR4 and CCR5) and THP-1 cells (human monocytic leukemia cell line) were cultured and maintained as described previously (4). To induce fMLP receptor expression, THP-1 cells were differentiated in RPMI 1640 medium supplemented with 300 µM dibutyryl cyclic AMP (Sigma-Aldrich) for 2 days.
Isolation of CD4+ cells from PBMC
CD4+ cells were isolated from human PBMCs (Ficoll-Paque sedimentation; Amersham Biosciences) by negative selection using MACS and the CD4+ T cell isolation kit II (Miltenyi Biotec). The resulting purity of CD4+ cells was >90%, as determined by flow cytometry.
Generation and isolation of recombinant hBD-3 (rhBD-3)
rhBD-3 was produced by cloning hBD-3 cDNA into pET-30c (from J. Härder and J. Schröder, Kiel University, Germany) (Novagen) as described previously (5). LPS presence was deemed negligible by Charles River Laboratories, i.e., <5 EU/mg rhBD-3 and representing <0.01 ng/ml in our assay system.
Competitive binding assays using 125I labeled SDF-1/RANTES
CEM X4/R5 cells were washed and resuspended in balanced salt solution (BSS) containing 140 mM NaCl, 5 mM KCl, 1.5 mM CaCl2, 1 mM MgCl2, 10 mM D-glucose, 1 mg/ml BSA, and 20 mM NaHEPES (pH 7.5). One million cells in a final volume of 300 µl were placed in each tube along with 0.1 nM 125I-labeled SDF-1 or RANTES (PerkinElmer NEN). Unlabeled SDF-1 or RANTES (1 µg/ml for each) or various concentrations of hBD-3 were added simultaneously. Only 125I labeled SDF-1 or 125I-labeled RANTES was added to control tubes. Cells were incubated at 37°C for 30 min, or on ice for 4 h, and then washed three times with BSS. Cellular binding of 125I-labeled SDF-1 or 125I-labeled RANTES was determined by gamma counter readings. All experiments were performed in triplicate.
Fluorometric analysis of cytosolic Ca2+
CEM and THP-1 cells were washed in PBS and resuspended at a concentration of
106 cells/ml in BSS. The cell suspension was supplemented with 1 µM fura 2-AM (Molecular Probes) and incubated at 37°C for 45 min. Cells were pelleted, washed once, and resuspended in fresh BSS to a density of 106 cells/ml. Cytosolic Ca2+ levels in 1.5 ml of stirred cell suspensions were assayed fluorometrically at 37°C using equipment and calibration protocols that have been described previously (6). The cells were treated with hBD-3, SDF-1 (R&D Systems), RANTES (R&D Systems), carbachol, ATP, or fMLP (all from Sigma-Aldrich) that were added as 0.5- to 15-µl aliquots from concentrated stocks. Cells were then permeabilized with 50 µg/ml digitonin (Sigma-Aldrich) to facilitate calibration of fura-2 fluorescence as a function of extracellular Ca2+ levels.
Confocal microscopy
CEM X4/R5 cells were collected, washed twice with PBS, resuspended in medium containing 0.5% FBS, with or without 20 µg/ml rhBD-3, followed by incubation at 37°C in 5% CO2 for 2 h. Cells were treated with FACS/Perm (BD Pharmingen) at room temperature, 10 min, and then washed three times with PBS. Cells were stained with PE-labeled anti-CXCR4 mAb (clone 12G5; BD Pharmingen) at room temperature, 90 min, followed by washing three times with PBS. Samples were observed using a dual scanning confocal microscope system (Zeiss LSM 510; Oberkochem) and analyzed with the Zeiss LSM 5 Image Browser.
Western blot analysis of ERK1/2 activation
CEM X4/R5 cells or CD4+ PBMCs were resuspended at a concentration of 107 cells/ml in BSS. Aliquots (500 µl) were pretreated with either 10 nM SDF-1, hBD-3 (20 µg/ml; 3.9 µM), hBD-3 before SDF-1, carbachol (10 µM), or phorbol myristate acetate (100 nM PMA; Sigma-Aldrich) for 3 min. Reactions were terminated by transfer to an ice bath and centrifugation to pellet the cells. Following aspiration and ice-cold PBS washing, the pelleted cells were routinely disrupted in 200 µl of lysis buffer containing 25 mM HEPES (pH 7.4), 150 mM NaCl, 1% Triton X-100, 1 mM
-glycerol phosphate, 2 mM sodium pyrophosphate, 5 mM EDTA, 5 mM EGTA, 1 mM sodium orthovanadate, 2 mM PMSF, 0.1% aprotinin, and 10 µg/ml leupeptin. After 20 min on ice, the lysate was centrifuged at 10,000 x g for 10 min at 4°C; 150 µl of the supernatant was denatured by addition of 4x Laemmli sample buffer (7) and boiling for 5 min. The extracted proteins were separated by SDS-PAGE on 12% gels (Bio-Rad) and transferred to 0.45-µm Immobilon-P polyvinylidene difluoride membranes (Millipore). The blots were serially probed with anti-phospho-ERK1/2 (Thr202/Tyr204) mouse mAbs and then anti-total ERK1/2 rabbit polyclonal Abs (Cell Signaling Technology). Bound primary Abs were visualized with appropriate peroxidase-coupled secondary Abs (Santa Cruz Biotechnology) using Enhanced Luminol Chemiluminescence Reagent (Amersham Biosciences).
Chemotaxis assays
Chemotaxis assays were performed as described by Chernock et al. (8). Briefly, Jurkat cells (clone E61; human T cell line; ATCC TIB-152) or activated primary T lymphoblasts (from Dr. A. Levine, Department of Gastroenterology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH; prepared as previously described (9)) were washed and resuspended in RPMI 1640 with 0.5% FBS at a concentration of 1 x 107 cells/ml. A 100-µl aliquot of each cell type was added into respective Transwell inserts of chemotaxis chambers (Transwell Permeable Supports; Corning), where the lower compartment contained 600 µl of RPMI 1640 and 0.5% FBS. SDF-1 (100 ng/ml) and hBD-3 (040 µg/ml) were added into each lower compartment except in control chambers. After incubation at 37°C for 3 h, inserts were removed, and cells that migrated into the lower chamber were counted.
| Results and Discussion |
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The interaction of agonistic ligands with GPCRs induces conformational changes that coordinately elicit activation of the downstream G protein-dependent signaling cascades and also promote desensitization/internalization of the activated receptor. The canonical model for GPCR internalization involves phosphorylation of the receptors, association of arrestin-family adapters with the phosphorylated receptors, targeting of the GPCR-arrestin complexes to clathrin-coated pits, and, finally, dynamin-dependent internalization of the complexes. Previous studies have indicated that SDF-1 induces internalization of CXCR4 via these classical arrestin- and dynamin-dependent mechanisms (13, 14). Although antagonistic ligands for most GPCRs do not elicit either coupling to G proteins (by definition) or desensitization/internalization, a small but increasing number of GPCRs have been shown to internalize upon binding antagonists. These include the CCK receptor for cholecystokinin (15), the 5HT2A receptor for serotonin (16), the NPY1 receptor for neuropeptide Y (17), and the CRF1 receptor for corticotrophin releasing factor (18). Our results indicate that hBD-3 also induces CXCR4 internalization despite its actions as an antagonist of SDF-1 binding to, and activation of, CXCR4. The mechanistic relationships among ligand binding, functional activation, and CXCR4 internalization remain incompletely defined, however. Early structure-function analyses of SDF-1 interaction with CXCR4 indicated that N-terminal residues 12 through 17 of SDF-1 are required for selective and high-affinity binding of the chemokine to the N-terminal tail of CXCR4, whereas the extreme N-terminal amino acids (Lys-Pro) of SDF-1 are required for functional activation of CXCR4 as a consequence of interaction with the receptors second extracellular loop (19, 20). Cai et al. (21) reported recently that rSDF-1 lacking the C-terminal
-helical domain acts as an antagonist of SDF-1-induced CXCR4 signal transduction but can induce CXCR4 internalization. Other SDF-1-derived peptides can induce potent signal transduction through activation of CXCR4 but elicit little internalization of the receptor (22). Taken together, these data indicate that CXCR4 may conceivably assume multiple conformations that can independently regulate G protein coupling vs receptor internalization.
SDF-1/CXCR4 interactions have been implicated in a number of vital biological functions, including hemopoiesis, neurogenesis, angiogenesis, cardiogenesis, and immune cell trafficking (12, 23, 24, 25). Our findings indicate that hBD-3 may regulate some of these activities at selected sites such as those proximate to mucosal surfaces where the concentration of hBDs is high (26, 27). These findings also indicate that calcium influx and ERK1/2 phosphorylation are not necessary to induce CXCR4 internalization and thus implicate the likely importance of other as yet undescribed mechanisms in trafficking of CXCR4. This novel finding also may lead to a better understanding of how to inhibit the SDF-1/CXCR4 axis by use of endogenous agents such as hBD-3 or its derivatives and also may provide a new direction for drug design.
| Disclosures |
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| Footnotes |
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1 This work was supported by National Institutes of Health Grants RO1 DE015510 (to A.W.), AI 51649 (to M.M.L.), and R01 GM36387 (to G.R.D.) and Case Center for AIDS Research Grant AI 36219. Confocal studies were supported by the Confocal Core Facility of the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center (P30 CA43703). ![]()
2 Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. Aaron Weinberg, School of Dental Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44106-4905. E-mail address: aaron.weinberg{at}case.edu ![]()
3 Abbreviations used in this paper: hBD, human
-defensin; rhBD-3, recombinant hBD-3; SDF-1, stromal-derived factor 1; BSS, balanced salt solution; GPCR, G protein-coupled receptor. ![]()
Received for publication March 8, 2006. Accepted for publication May 19, 2006.
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