Delineation of tissue damage mechanisms in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). I. Cell detachment and lysis induced by encephalitogenic CD4+ T lymphocytes.

Myelin basic protein (MBP) reactive CD4+ T lymphocytes, capable of inducing experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), were examined for their ability to damage target cells of central nervous system (CNS) origin. Damage was assessed by monitoring detachment of adherent astrocytes from substratum and astrocyte lysis. MBP-specific, but non-encephalitogenic CD4+ T cells mediated astrocyte detachment but not lysis. However, encephalitogenic CD4+ T cell lines were more efficient in causing astrocyte detachment and could also cause astrocyte lysis. The detachment and lytic activities of the MBP-reactive T cell lines tested were often independent of the presence of specific antigen, and were not restricted to syngeneic major histocompatibility (MHC) antigens. MBP often augmented the detaching and, if lytic, lytic activities of these T cells. The encephalitogenic CD4+ T cells also detached and lysed allogeneic 'bystander' fibroblasts in the presence of unlabelled syngeneic astrocytes, suggesting the involvement of a soluble mediator(s). Although MBP is essential for the initiation of EAE, the presence of MBP on cells of CNS origin, such as astrocytes and oligodendrocytes, does not appear to be necessary for their damage by MBP-specific CD4+ T cells. Immune CD4+ T cells, which penetrate the CNS, may disorganize brain tissue structure by lysing astrocytes directly and by damaging other brain cells indirectly by soluble mediators. Thus cellular detachment, in addition to cell lysis, mediated by MBP-specific CD4+ cells may contribute to EAE pathogenesis.

Delineation of tissue damage mechanisms in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). II. Characteristics of astrocyte detachment mediated by myelin basic protein (MBP) specific CD4+ T lymphocytes.

We have shown that encephalitogenic, myelin basic protein (MBP)-specific CD4+ T cells can cause astrocyte and oligodendrocyte detachment in vitro. Similar processes may damage the central nervous system (CNS) in vivo by causing disorganization and destruction of brain tissue structure. The finding that 'bystander' allogeneic fibrosarcoma cells were detached by MBP-specific CD4+ T cells only when syngeneic astrocytes were present, suggested that a soluble cell-detaching factor (CDF) is released during the specific astrocyte-CD4+ effector interaction. In this study, CDF activity was detected in the supernatants of MBP-reactive CD4+ T cells incubated with concanavalin A or astrocytes. Lymphocyte-induced astrocyte lysis, but not detachment, was inhibited by the protein synthesis inhibitors, cycloheximide and puromycin, indicating that de novo protein synthesis is required for this type of lysis, but not for detachment. Astrocyte detachment was not inhibited, but rather augmented, by the trypsin inhibitors, soybean trypsin inhibitor (SBTI) and alpha-1-antitrypsin (alpha 1), suggesting that the CDF activity is not due to tryptic serine proteases, although it may be protease susceptible. The heparanase inhibitor, heparin, inhibited CD4+ T cell-mediated astrocyte detachment at low doses, but augmented detachment at higher doses, indicating that detaching activity is not due to heparanases. The actin microfilament disrupting agent, cytochalasin B (CB), inhibited astrocyte detachment induced by MBP-specific CD4+ T cells. CB pretreatment of the target astrocytes, but not of the effector CD4+ T cells, inhibited astrocyte detachment, suggesting that the integrity of the target's, but not the effector's, cytoskeleton is required for astrocyte detachment. The results herein suggest that during astrocyte interaction with MBP-specific CD4+ T cells, soluble factors are released that trigger an intrinsic astrocyte detachment mechanism.

In vivo acquisition of Fc gamma RII expression on polyoma virus-transformed cells derived from tumors of long latency.

BALB/c 3T3 cells transformed in vitro with polyoma virus were cloned and passaged once in syngeneic mice. Resulting tumors from each clone were explanted and recultured. Expression of receptor for Fc of IgG (Fc gamma RII) in the original in vitro maintained clones and in cells derived from tumors elicited by the respective cells was measured at the protein level as well as at the mRNA level. Clones were assayed in pairs. The ancestor in vitro maintained clones [designated cultured cells (C)] were compared with cells derived from the same clones after a single passage in vivo followed by explantation and reculturing [designated cultured-tumor-cultured cells (CTC)]. C cells of any of the tested clones did not express Fc gamma RII. On the other hand, certain CTC cells were positive. The Fc gamma RII-positive cells were derived from tumors appearing after a long precancer latency period (greater than 140 days). CTC cells derived from tumors that appeared after shorter latency periods (less than 80 days) were Fc gamma RII negative. These results were obtained both by using radioimmunoassay and monoclonal antibodies against mouse Fc gamma RII as well as by Northern blot analysis using the Fc gamma RII complementary DNA probe. The involvement of macrophages as the Fc gamma RII-expressing cells in CTC cells was excluded. Fc gamma RII expression was down-regulated in CTC cells as a function of time following their explantation into culture. Fc gamma RII expression could be up-regulated in these cells and induced on C cells by maintaining the cultured cells in the presence of normal mouse serum or recombinant interferon. We also tested the expression of Fc gamma RII on CTC cells following their inoculation into syngeneic mice for a second time (CTCx2 cells). The results showed a positive correlation between Fc gamma RII expression in the inoculated ancestor CTC cells and on the CTCx2 cell progeny.

Differential tumorigenicity of 3T3 cells transformed in vitro with polyoma virus and in vivo selection for high tumorigenicity.

BALB/c 3T3 cells transformed in vitro with a temperature-sensitive mutant of polyoma virus were cloned. Forty-eight clones examined demonstrated heterogeneity with respect to doubling-time in vitro and tumorigenicity in syngeneic mice in vivo. Observation periods that lasted in certain cases as long as 2 years showed that some clones exhibited a relatively high tumorigenicity, i.e., they yielded a relatively high incidence of tumors following a small inoculum of cells and a relatively short latency period. Other clones were relatively low tumorigenic: even high tumor cell inocula yielded a relatively low tumor incidence following a relatively long latency period. These results indicate that at least in this system variation in tumorigenicity is generated independently of host factors. An intraclonal heterogeneity with respect to the length of the precancer latency period was seen. Some tumors appeared relatively early following inoculation of cloned cells, whereas others appeared considerably later following an identical inoculum of the same clone. Cloned in vitro transformed cells were passaged once in syngeneic mice and recultured. The single in vivo passage cycle augmented considerably the tumorigenicity of these cells as compared to their in vitro maintained clonal ancestors. The increased tumorigenicity of the in vivo passaged cells is due, most probably, to the in vivo induction and/or selection of high tumorigenic intraclonal variants. The survival time of mice bearing high tumorigenicity variants was very similar to that of mice bearing low tumorigenicity variants.

Increased expression of Fc gamma receptor in cancer patients and tumor bearing mice.

In this study we report on some lines of ongoing research performed in our laboratory, in relation to the increased expression of FcR on tumor cells, as well as on cells present in the tumor-bearing host, and its possible role in tumor progression. In a previous study we have shown that a Polyoma virus (PyV)-induced anaplastic carcinoma (SEYF-a tumor) contained an FcR-expressing subpopulation of tumorigenic cells. We tested the effect of in vivo passaging of FcR-expressing and of non-FcR-expressing sub-populations of SEYF-a tumor cells on the expression of FcR, as revealed by the ability of these cells to bind the 2.4G2 monoclonal antibody, which is directed against mouse Fc gamma 2b/gamma 1R. It was found that upon in vivo passaging these two sub-populations became practically identical in their ability to bind anti-Fc gamma R antibody. On the other hand, in vitro passaging of FcR-expressing SEYF-a cells resulted in a gradual decrease in the expression of Fc gamma R. These results, indicating that the expression of Fc gamma R on tumor cells, per se, is dependent on a factor present in the in vivo environment were confirmed using 3T3 cells transformed in vitro by PyV (C) and forming tumors at first injection to mice (CTC). C cultures of various clones did not express Fc gamma R, while CTC cultures (cultures from tumors) became positive. We also detected an increase in the level of a soluble form of Fc gamma 2b/gamma 1R in the circulation of mice bearing PyV induced tumors. This increase paralleled the appearance of palpable tumors. A similar pattern of increase was observed in mice inoculated with the c-H-ras transformed tumorigenic clone 8/F/5, but not in mice inoculated with non-tumorigenic 3T3 cells. Data published by us show that metastatic breast cancer patients had significantly elevated Fc gamma R levels on their peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). Experiments presented here indicate a direct correlation between increased Fc gamma R levels on PBMC and tumor mass in colon, ovary and lung metastatic carcinoma patients. The possibility that malignantly transformed cells have the potential to cause proliferation of Fc gamma R expressing T cells was tested. It was found that extract derived from r-H-ras transformed 3T3 cells triggers the proliferation of a T cell hybridoma expressing Fc gamma R.