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Seeding of hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPC) into the bone marrow requires a complex interaction between cell membrane and adhesion systems and cell signaling pathways. We established a multicellular, spheroid coculture model to study HPC migration in a three‐dimensional stromal environment. Here, entry of primary CD34+cells into stroma cell spheroids was independent of the integrins very late antigen (VLA)‐4, VLA‐5, lymphocyte function‐associated antigen‐1, and the chemokine receptor CXCR4. Experiments using a panel of bacterial toxins selectively targeting key regulators of cellular locomotion, the Rho family small GTPases Rho, Rac, and Cdc42, revealed a considerable reduction or even abrogation of TF‐1 cell migration without an increase of apoptosis or impairment of proliferation. Pertussis toxin, an inhibitor of Gαiproteins, showed a similar effect. In some in vitro invasion assays, phosphatidylinositol‐3 kinase (PI‐3K) was shown to mediate Rac‐ and Cdc42‐induced cell motility and invasion. However, inhibition of the PI‐3K pathway by LY294002 did not impair TF‐1 cell migration in our three‐dimensional model system.

Macrophages in normal colonic mucosa show a specific and distinct phenotype with low expression of the typical monocyte/macrophage surface antigens CD14, CD16, and CD11b and T‐cell costimulatory molecules. A method for the in vitro induction of a macrophage phenotype similar to this intestinal phenotype is presented. Multicellular spheroids (MCSs) of intestinal epithelial cell (IEC) and control cell lines were cocultured with elutriated monocytes. Surface antigen expression was analyzed by immunohistochemistry and flow cytometry. Interleukin (IL)‐1β mRNA was measured by quantitative PCR. Monocytes adhered and infiltrated the MCSs within 24 h. In the MCSs of all IEC lines, the typical monocyte/macrophage surface antigens CD14, CD16, CD11b, and CD11c, which are detectable after 24 h of coculture by immunohistochemistry and flow cytometry, were down‐regulated after 7 days (e.g., for CD14 at 24 h, expression was 86% of CD33+ cells; at day 7, it was 11%). A clear decrease of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)‐stimulated IL‐1β transcription in monocytes cocultured with IEC MCSs could be observed during the 7‐day period. For the first time an intestine‐like macrophage‐phenotype could be induced in vitro. Interactions with IECs play an essential role during this differentiation, which is of functional relevance, e.g., for LPS‐induced cytokine secretion.

Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) is a ubiquitous adrenal hormone with immunomodulatory effects such as inhibition of the production of monokines. Whether DHEA itself or the downstream steroids are the immunomodulatory effector hormones in target cells is not known. In this study, we investigated the conversion of DHEA to downstream steroid hormones in target macrophages. Within 1 day of culture with radiolabeled DHEA, monocyte-derived macrophages converted DHEA to significant amounts of Delta5-derivatives such as 16OH-DHEA, 3beta, 17beta-androstenediol (A'diol), and 3beta,16alpha, 17beta-androstenetriol (A'triol). However, the production of Delta4-steroids (androstenedione (A'dione), testosterone (T), and 16OH-T) and estrogens (estrone, estradiol, and estriol) was relatively low. Further cultivation of macrophages for 5 days with radiolabeled DHEA resulted in a significant (P<0.05) increase of the molar amounts of A'triol (P=0.012), 16OH-T (P=0.008), and estriol (P=0.003). In contrast to monocyte-derived macrophages, monocytes did not express aromatase mRNA, which was demonstrated by RT-PCR (P<0.01). Furthermore, DHEA in macrophages significantly inhibited one of the downstream converting enzymes, the aromatase, which was not demonstrated in the presence of the typical macrophage activator, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) (P<0.01). In conclusion, conversion of DHEA to physiologically relevant amounts of Delta5- and Delta4-steroids and estrogens was demonstrated in monocyte-derived macrophages. The conversion depends on maturation of monocytes and local factors such as the presence of LPS. The conversion of DHEA leads to an increase of downstream effector hormones in target macrophages which may be an important factor for local immunomodulation.

Terminal maturation of blood monocytes (MO) in vitro and in vivo into macrophages (MAC) occurs as a result of interactions with various cell types. To characterize some of the cell‐cell connections that maybe important for MO differentiation we cocultured human MO with lymphocytes and/or with platelets. We found that intact platelets strongly promoted MO maturation under serum‐free conditions as evident from the expression of differentiation‐dependent antigens and morphology. To further characterize the differentiation‐inducing component(s) we prepared membrane and cytosol fractions of platelets. Both fractions could induce MO maturation, comparable to intact platelets. Further centrifugation of the cytosolic fraction revealed that only the pellet of ultracentrifugation, e.g., membrane fragments, could induce MO differentiation. Digestion with either trypsin or neuraminidase could only partially inhibit this effect. The same was true for heat‐treated fractions, indicating that this platelet‐derived differentiation stimulus is not solely an intact protein. Next we prepared protein and lipid fractions of platelets. Treatment of MO with platelet proteins or platelet lipids clearly showed that only the lipid components were able to induce MO maturation. We propose components present in the lipid fraction of platelet membranes as possible inducers of MO maturation in vitro. J. Leukoc. Biol. 63: 469–476; 1998.

Recently emerging evidence suggests important roles for inositol polyphosphates and inositol phospholipids in neuronal Ca2+signalling, membrane vesicle trafficking and cytoskeletal rearrangement. A prerequisite for a detailed physiological characterization of the signalling of both potential second messengers inositol‐(1,3,4,5)‐tetrakisphosphate (InsP4) and phosphatidylinositol‐3,4,5‐trisphosphate (PtdlnsP3) in the nervous system is the precise cellular localization of their receptors. Based on the cDNA sequence of a recently cloned brain‐specific receptor with high affinity for both InsP4and PtdlnsP3(InsP4–PtdlnsP3R), p42IP4/centaurin‐α, we localized the mRNA and the protein in rat brain. In situhybridization revealed a widespread expression of the InsP4–PtdlnsP3R with prominent labelling in cerebellum, hippocampus, cortex and thalamus, which moreover is developmentally regulated. Using peptide‐specific antibodies, the immunoreactivity was localized in the adult brain in the vast majority of neuronal cell types and probably also in some glial cells. Prominent immunoreactivity was found in axonal processes and in cell types characterized by extensive neurites. In the hypothalamus a subpopulation of parvocellular neurons in the peri‐ and paraventricular nuclei was most heavily labelled. This was confined by strong immunoreactivity in the lamina externa of the median eminence in close proximity to portal plexus blood vessels. Electron microscopy revealed that the InsP4‐PtdlnsP3R was frequently associated with presynaptic vesicular structures. Further studies should identify the role of the InsP4‐PtdlnsP3R in cellular neural processes.

Cells of the mononuclear phagocyte system arise from circulating blood monocytes (MO) that undergo further maturation on leaving the vasculature and migration into the various tissues and body cavities. This terminal differentiation step is also observed in vitro when blood MO are cultured in the presence of serum. Yet, the inducing signals present in serum are not defined. We have established primary cultures from elutriation-purified blood MO and found that the active metabolite of vitamin D3 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25(OH)2D3) could induce maturation of MO to macrophages (MAC) in the absence of any serum proteins. Cells were cultured for 7 days with AB-group serum or 1,25(OH)2D3, respectively, and MO maturation analyzed by morphology, functional activity, and the expression of lineage-restricted maturation-associated antigens (MAX.1, MAX.3). At an optimal concentration of 10(-8) mol/L, 1,25(OH)2D3 promoted the development of fully differentiated MAC whose phenotype and functional competence in terms of cytokine release (tumor necrosis factor alpha, interleukin-6, fibronectin, and lysozyme) was comparable with MAC grown in serum. In conclusion, our data may add to the immunoregulatory potential of 1,25(OH)2D3, which may play an essential role in the ontogeny of the mononuclear phagocyte system.

Summary Cells of the macrophage lineage are a major source of various cytokines and hematopoietic growth factors. With regard to the growth factors acting on cells of their own lineage, macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF) has been proven to be secreted by monocytes (MO) and macrophages (MAC), whereas the production of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) by human MO/MAC is under debate. Here we report that in elutriation-purified MO, as well as in MAC derived from cultured MO, GM-CSF m-RNA was regularly induced by LPS. In MO the GM-CSF message was still detectable 18h after stimulation under serum-free conditions, but in contrast was already lost at this time point in MAC. Secreted GM-CSF protein was detected in the culture medium using a sandwich ELISA. Furthermore, a factor-dependent cell line (M-07) was used for a biological assay. Here, a neutralizing anti GM-CSF antibody specifically blocked the proliferation-inducing activity of MO/MAC supernatants. Whereas only small amounts of GM-CSF were detected in MO, its secretion increased severalfold upon MO-to-MAC differentation in vitro. A similar increase upon in vitro maturation of MO was observed for the production of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor. The highest amounts of GM-CSF (up to 2.8 ng/106 cells) were produced by MAC that had been derived from MO cultured under serum-free conditions in the presence of 0.5 mg/ml albumin as the only medium supplement.

THE distribution of the N-methyl-D-aspartate R1 receptor was investigated in human hippocampus, cerebellum and frontal cortex by means of in situhybridization and immunocytochemistry. Expression of N-methyl-D-aspartate R1 receptors was observed in layers II-VI of the frontal cortex with the highest density of positive neurones in layer IV, V and VIa. The entire human hippocampus was labelled, with marked differences in intensity between the CA 1 and CA 2/3 region. Furthermore we found marked differences in the intracellular localization of the protein between granule and pyramidal cells. In the cerebellum granule and Purkinje cells stained positive, as revealed by both in situhybridization and immunocytochemistry. These findings suggest that the receptor has a less restricted cell specific expression than previously thought, although the distribution is largely in accordance with the expression of N-methyl-D-aspartate R1 mRNA in the rat.

It has been well established that human mononuclear phagocytes have the capacity to produce 1,25-dihydroxy-vitamin D3 [1,25(OH)3D3] and express the vitamin D receptor (VDR). However, 1 alpha-hydroxylase activity and VDR receptor expression during differentiation of monocytes (MO) into mature macrophages (MAC) have not been previously examined. The in vitro maturation of blood MO can serve as a model for the in vivo transformation of immature blood MO into MAC. Here, when cultured in the presence of serum, MO undergo characteristic changes in morphology, antigenic phenotype, and functional activity consistent with their differentiation into MAC. We serially measured 1,25(OH)2D3 and 24,25- dihydroxyvitamin D3 [24,25(OH)2D3] synthesis, specific [3H]-1,25(OH)2D3 binding, and VDR mRNA levels during in vitro maturation of MO into MAC and correlated these functions with maturation-associated changes in the phenotype (MAX.1 and CD71) and secretory repertoire (interleukin-1 beta [IL-1 beta], neopterin) of the cells. MO showed only little conversion of 25-(OH)D3 into 1,25(OH)2D3 (1.4 +/- 0.4 pmol/10(6) cells/6 h, n = 5) that increased gradually during maturation into MAC at day 8 of culture (5.3 +/- 4.3 pmol/10(6) cells/6 h, n = 5). Interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) increased baseline 1,25(OH)2D3-synthesis approximately twofold during all phases of differentiation. The time course of increased 1,25(OH)2D3-synthesis correlated with enhanced secretion of neopterin and expression of MAX.1 and CD71. The addition of exogenous 1,25(OH)2D3 did not influence constitutive 1,25(OH)2D3 synthesis, but IFN-gamma-stimulated production was suppressed to baseline levels. Exogenous 1,25(OH)2D3 also stimulated 24,25(OH)2D3 synthesis in freshly isolated MO (from 1.0 +/- 0.8 pmol/6 h to 5.6 +/- 0.9 pmol), whereas matured MAC showed no 24,25(OH)2D3 synthesis. Furthermore, we examined the expression of the VDR during the differentiation process. VDR mRNA and protein were constitutively expressed in MO, whereas VDR was downregulated in mature MAC on both the mRNA and protein levels. Homologous upregulation of VDR protein by 1,25(OH)2D3 occurred in MO and, to a lesser degree, in MAC. In contrast, VDR mRNA concentrations were not influenced by 1,25(OH)2D3. Taken together, our results show that MO into MAC differentiation in vitro is associated with (1) an enhanced capacity to synthesize 1,25(OH)2D3, (2) a loss of 24,25(OH)2D3-synthesizing activity, and (3) a decrease in the expression of VDR mRNA and protein. Because 1,25(OH)2D3 was shown to induce differentiation of MO into MAC, our data sugest an autoregulatory mechanism of MO/MAC generation by 1,25(OH)2D3.

The two monoclonal antibodies MAX.1 and MAX.11 recognize cell surface antigens that are almost undetectable on monocytes but highly expressed on differentiated macrophages. Biochemical characterization revealed that both antibodies detect the same 58-64-kDa glycoprotein anchored to the plasma membrane by glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol linkage. We purified the MAX.1/11 antigen by immunoaffinity chromatography using monoclonal antibody MAX.11. The NH2-terminal amino acid sequence was determined and turned out to be identical to the NH2-terminal sequence of the membrane-bound carboxypeptidase M. By precipitation with antibodies MAX.1 and MAX.11, membrane preparations of macrophages and placental microvilli were almost completely depleted of enzyme activity, indicating that the two antibodies indeed recognize carboxypeptidase M. Immunoreactivity of both antibodies correlates with the reported tissue distribution of enzyme activity. Expression of carboxypeptidase M on mRNA level and enzymatic activity markedly increase during in vitro differentiation of monocytes, according to the described increase in MAX.1 and MAX.11 antigen expression. Moreover, in vitro differentiated macrophages show the highest specific activity yet described in any tissue. In addition, carboxypeptidase M expression could be detected in HL-60, U937, and THP-1 myeloid cell lines. Vitamin D3-induced monocytic differentiation resulted in an increased carboxypeptidase M expression in all three cell lines. Further studies are needed to elucidate the functional role of carboxypeptidase M during monocytic differentiation and activation.

Using antibodies against synaptic protein preparations, we cloned the cDNA of a new Ca2+-binding protein. Its C-terminal portion displays significant similarity with calmodulin and contains two EF-hand motifs. The corresponding mRNA is highly expressed in rat brain, primarily in cerebral cortex, hippocampus, and cerebellum; its expression appears to be restricted to neurons. Transcript levels increase during postnatal development. A recombinant C-terminal protein fragment binds Ca2+ as indicated by a Ca2+-induced mobility shift in SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Antisera generated against the bacterial fusion protein recognize a brain-specific protein doublet with apparent molecular masses of 33 and 36 kDa. These data are confirmed by in vitro translation, which generates a single 36-kDa polypeptide, and by the heterologous expression in 293 cells, which yields a 33/36-kDa doublet comparable to that found in brain. On two-dimensional gels, the 33-kDa band separates into a chain of spots plausibly due to differential phosphorylation. This view is supported by in situ phosphorylation studies in hippocampal slices. Most of the immunoreactivity is detectable in cytoskeletal preparations with a further enrichment in the synapse-associated cytomatrix. These biochemical data, together with the ultra-structural localization in dendrites and the postsynaptic density, strongly suggest an association with the somato-dendritic cytoskeleton. Therefore, this novel Ca2+-binding protein was named caldendrin.

Differentiation of tissue macrophages from bone marrow progenitor cells via circulating blood monocytes is a complex and multistep process. In order to analyze macrophage maturation on the molecular level we used the method of mRNA differential display to identify novel genes that are preferentially expressed in mature, in vitro differentiated macrophages. A PCR-fragment could be isolated that was amplified from macrophages, but not from freshly isolated monocytes, and macrophage-specific expression was confirmed by Northern blot analysis. Several corresponding cDNA clones could be isolated from a macrophage cDNA library, covering a nucleotide sequence of 2.5 kb. Nucleotide sequence of this cDNA showed no homology to known genes. The sequence reveals an open reading frame that codes for a 238 amino acid hydrophobic protein with seven potential transmembrane domains, suggesting a possible role as a receptor or an ion channel.