Search

Mechanical properties of neutrophils have been recognized as key contributors to stabilizing neutrophil rolling on the endothelium during the inflammatory response. In particular, accumulating evidence suggests that surface protrusion and tether extraction from neutrophils facilitate stable rolling by relieving the disruptive forces on adhesive bonds. Using a customized optical trap setup, we applied piconewton-level pulling forces on targeted receptors that were located either on the microvillus tip (CD162) or intermicrovillus surface of neutrophils (CD18 and CD44). Under a constant force-loading rate, there always occurred an initial tent-like surface protrusion that was terminated either by rupture of the adhesion or by a 'yield' or 'crossover' to tether extraction. The corresponding protrusional stiffness of neutrophils was found to be between 0.06 and 0.11 pN/nm, depending on the force-loading rate and the cytoskeletal integrity, but not on the force location, the medium osmolality, nor the temperature increase from 22[degrees]C to 37[degrees]C. More importantly, we found that neutrophil surface protrusion was accompanied by force relaxation and hysteresis. In addition, the crossover force did not change much in the range of force-loading rates studied, and the protrusional stiffness of lymphocytes was similar to that of neutrophils. These results show that neutrophil surface protrusion is essentially viscoelastic, with a protrusional stiffness that stems primarily from the actin cortex, and the crossover force is independent of the receptor-cytoskeleton interaction. leukocyte rolling; optical trap; cell adhesion; microvillus; micropipette aspiration

To assess the hypothesis that gap junctions (GJs) participate on leukocyte-endothelium interactions in the inflammatory response, we compared leukocyte adhesion and transmigration elicited by cytokine stimulation in the presence or absence of GJ blockers in the hamster cheek pouch and also in the cremaster muscle of wild-type (WT) and endothelium-specific connexin 43 (Cx43) null mice ([Cx43e.sup.-/-]). In the cheek pouch, topical tumor necrosis factor-[alpha] (TNF-[alpha]; 150 ng/ml, 15 min) caused a sustained increment in the number of leukocytes adhered to venular endothelium (LAV) and located at perivenular regions (LPV). Superfusion with the GJ blockers 18-[alpha]-glycyrrhetinic acid (AGA; 75 [micro]M) or 18-[beta]-glycyrrhetinic acid (50 [micro]M) abolished the TNF-[alpha]-induced increase in LAV and LPV; carbenoxolone (75 [micro]M) or oleamide (100 [micro]M) reduced LAV by 50 and 75%, respectively, and LPV to a lesser extent. None of these GJ blockers modified venular diameter, blood flow, or leukocyte rolling. In contrast, glycyrrhizin (75 [micro]M), a non-GJ blocker analog of AGA, was devoid of effect. Interestingly, when AGA was removed 90 min after TNF-[alpha] stimulation, LAV started to rise at a similar rate as in control. Conversely, application of AGA 90 rain after TNF-[alpha] reduced the number of previously adhered cells. In WT mice, intrascrotal injection of TNF-[alpha] (0.5 [micro]g/0.3 ml) increased LAV (fourfold) and LPV (threefold) compared with saline-injected controls. In contrast to the observations in WT animals, TNF-[alpha] stimulation did not increase LAV or LPV in [Cx43e.sup.-/-] mice. These results demonstrate an important role for GJ communication in leukocyte adhesion and transmigration during acute inflammation in vivo and further suggest that endothelial Cx43 is key in these processes. inflammation; tumor necrosis factor-[alpha]; endothelial-connexin 43 knockout mice; gap junction blockers

Cell adhesion, mediated by specific receptor-ligand interactions, plays an important role in biological processes such as tumor metastasis and inflammatory cascade. For example, interactions between [[beta].sub.2]-integrin (lymphocyte function-associated antigen-1 and/or Mac-l) on polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs) and ICAM-1 on melanoma cells initiate the bindings of melanoma cells to PMNs within the tumor microenvironment in blood flow, which in turn activate PMN-melanoma cell aggregation in a near-wall region of the vascular endothelium, therefore enhancing subsequent extravasation of melanoma cells in the microcirculations. Kinetics of integrin-ligand bindings in a shear flow is the determinant of such a process, which has not been well understood. In the present study, interactions of PMNs with WM9 melanoma cells were investigated to quantify the kinetics of [[beta].sub.2]-integrin and ICAM-1 bindings using a cone-plate viscometer that generates a linear shear flow combined with a two-color flow cytometry technique. Aggregation fractions exhibited a transition phase where it first increased before 60 s and then decreased with shear durations. Melanoma-PMN aggregation was also found to be inversely correlated with the shear rate. A previously developed probabilistic model was modified to predict the time dependence of aggregation fractions at different shear rates and medium viscosities. Kinetic parameters of [[beta].sub.2]-integrin and ICAM-1 bindings were obtained by individual or global fittings, which were comparable to respectively published values. These findings provide new quantitative understanding of the biophysical basis of leukocyte-tumor cell interactions mediated by specific receptor-ligand interactions under shear flow conditions. heterotypic cell aggregation; adhesion molecule; leukocyte; tumor cell; reverse rate; binding affinity; probabilistic model; polymorpho-nuclear neutrophils; intercellular adhesion molecule-1

Modulation of adhesion molecule expression or function is regarded as a promising therapy for inflammatory conditions. This study evaluates the effects of an inhibitor of adhesion molecule expression (GI270384X) in two experimental models of colitis. Colitis of different severity was induced in C57BL/6J mice by administering 1, 2, or 3% dextran sulfate sodium (DSS). GI270384X (3, 10, or 25 mg x [kg.sup.-1] x [day.sup.-1]) was administered as pretreatment or started 3 days after colitis induction. In IL-10-deficient mice, the highest dose was given for 2 wk. The clinical course of colitis, pathological changes, serum inflammatory biomarkers, expression of adhesion molecules, and leukocyteendothelial cell interactions in colonic venules were measured in mice treated with vehicle or with active drug. In the most severe forms of colitis (2% and 3% DSS and IL-10-deficient mice), the magnitude of colonic inflammation was not modified by treatment with GI270384X. In a less severe form of colitis (1% DSS), GI270384X treatment dose dependently ameliorated the clinical signs of colitis, colonic pathological changes, and serum levels of biomarkers (IL-6 and serum amyloid A). Administration of 25 mg x [kg.sup.-1] x [day.sup.-1] GI270384X abrogated upregulation of ICAM-1 in the inflamed colon but had no effect on VCAM-1 or E-selectin expression. This was associated with a significant reduction in number of rolling and firmly adherent leukocytes in colonic venules. These results indicate that GI270384X is effective in the treatment of experimental colitis of moderate severity. Reduced adhesion molecule expression and leukocyte recruitment to the inflamed intestine contribute to this beneficial effect. endothelium; ICAM-1; leukocyte