Shear-dependent capping of L-selectin and P-selectin glycoprotein ligand 1 by E-selectin signals activation of high-avidity beta2-integrin on neutrophils.

Two adhesive events critical to efficient recruitment of neutrophils at vascular sites of inflammation are up-regulation of endothelial selectins that bind sialyl Lewis(x) ligands and activation of beta(2)-integrins that support neutrophil arrest by binding ICAM-1. We have previously reported that neutrophils rolling on E-selectin are sufficient for signaling cell arrest through beta(2)-integrin binding of ICAM-1 in a process dependent upon ligation of L-selectin and P-selectin glycoprotein ligand 1 (PSGL-1). Unresolved are the spatial and temporal events that occur as E-selectin binds to human neutrophils and dynamically signals the transition from neutrophil rolling to arrest. Here we show that binding of E-selectin to sialyl Lewis(x) on L-selectin and PSGL-1 drives their colocalization into membrane caps at the trailing edge of neutrophils rolling on HUVECs and on an L-cell monolayer coexpressing E-selectin and ICAM-1. Likewise, binding of recombinant E-selectin to PMNs in suspension also elicited coclustering of L-selectin and PSGL-1 that was signaled via mitogen-activated protein kinase. Binding of recombinant E-selectin signaled activation of beta(2)-integrin to high-avidity clusters and elicited efficient neutrophil capture of beta(2)-integrin ligands in shear flow. Inhibition of p38 and p42/44 mitogen-activated protein kinase blocked the cocapping of L-selectin and PSGL-1 and the subsequent clustering of high-affinity beta(2)-integrin. Taken together, the data suggest that E-selectin is unique among selectins in its capacity for clustering sialylated ligands and transducing signals leading to neutrophil arrest in shear flow.

Topographic requirements and dynamics of signaling via L-selectin on neutrophils.

Cross-linking of L-selectin on leukocytes signals phosphorylation of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) leading to activation of CD18 function and enhanced transmigration on inflamed endothelium. We examined how alterations in the topography of L-selectin correlate with the dynamics of CD18 activation and phosphorylation of MAPK. Simultaneous ligation of humanized antibodies DREG55 and DREG200 provided a strategy for regulating the extent of cross-linking. Triggering of CD11b/CD18 upregulation and adhesion required clustering of L-selectin to microvillus-sized patches of approximately 0.2 microm(2). Immunofluorescence revealed that L-selectin was colocalized with high-affinity CD18. Anti-L-selectin-coated protein A microspheres indicated that a single site of contact to a 5.5-microm bead, or multiple contacts to 0.94- or 0.3-microm beads, elicited maximum neutrophil activation. Adhesion signaled via L-selectin coincided with the kinetics of MAPK phosphorylation and was inhibited by blocking p38 or p42/44 activity. These data demonstrate the capacity of L-selectin to transduce signals effecting rapid ( approximately 1 s) neutrophil adhesion that is regulated by the size and frequency of receptor clustering.