Dexamethasone lowers cytosolic pH in macrophages by altering alkalinizing pH-regulatory mechanisms.

The effect of dexamethasone on cytosolic pH (pHc) in resident mouse peritoneal macrophages was investigated using the fluorescent probe 2',7'-bis(carboxyethyl)-5(6)-carboxyfluorescein tetra-acetoxymethyl ester (BCECF-AM). Dexamethasone was found to significantly lower pHc and this reduction of pHc evolved gradually with time, was near maximal at 10 nM dexamethasone, and could be prevented by the glucocorticoid receptor antagonist RU-38486. The lower pHc of dexamethasone-treated cells was neither due to a reduction of cellular buffer capacity nor to an altered regulation of pHc by Na+/H+-exchange or by acidifying Na+-independent Cl-/HCO3- exchange, as assessed by studies of pH recovery after acute acid and alkali loads, respectively. Instead, an impaired pHc recovery by both the H+-ATPase and the alkalinizing Na+-dependent Cl-/HCO3- exchange was observed. This impairment was most likely not caused by an altered expression or localization of the 39-kDa subunit of the proton pump. Dexamethasone treatment caused a reduction of pHc also in a HCO3--containing solution, suggesting that acid extrusion by both the H+-ATPase and Na+-dependent Cl-/HCO3- exchange is important for maintenance and regulation of macrophage resting pHc. The lowering of macrophage pHc might be one mechanism whereby glucocorticoids exert their anti-inflammatory effects.

Importance of MEK in neutrophil microbicidal responsiveness.

Exposure of neutrophils to inflammatory stimuli such as the chemoattractant FMLP leads to activation of responses including cell motility, the oxidative burst, and secretion of proteolytic enzymes. A signaling cascade involving sequential activation of Raf-1, mitogen-activated protein kinase (MEK), and extracellular signal regulated kinase (ERK) is also rapidly activated after agonist exposure. The temporal relationship between these events suggests that the kinases may be involved in triggering the effector functions, but direct evidence of a causal relationship is lacking. To assess the role of the MEK/ERK pathway in the activation of neutrophil responses, we studied the effects of PD098059, a potent and selective inhibitor of MEK. Preincubation of human neutrophils with 50 microM PD098059 almost completely (>90%) inhibited the FMLP-induced activation of MEK-1 and MEK-2, the isoforms expressed by neutrophils. This dose of PD098059 virtually abrogated chemoattractant-induced tyrosine phosphorylation and activation of ERK-1 and ERK-2, implying that MEKs are the predominant upstream activators of these mitogen-activated protein kinases. Pretreatment of neutrophils with the MEK antagonist inhibited the oxidative burst substantially and phagocytosis only moderately. In addition, PD098059 antagonized the delay of apoptosis induced by exposure to granulocyte-macrophage CSF. However, the effects of PD098059 were selective, as it failed to inhibit other responses, including chemoattractant-induced exocytosis of primary and secondary granules, polymerization of F-actin, chemotaxis, or activation of phospholipase A2. We conclude that MEK and ERK contribute to the activation of the oxidative burst and phagocytosis, and participate in cytokine regulation of apoptosis.

Role of intracellular pH in proliferation, transformation, and apoptosis.

Both cellular proliferation and apoptosis (programmed cell death) have been claimed to be modulated, perhaps even triggered by, changes in intracellular pH. In this review, we summarize the evidence that gave rise to these hypotheses. To facilitate a critical appraisal of the existing data, we briefly review the main pathways involved in cytosolic pH homeostasis and their regulation by mitogens and by apoptosis-inducing agents. The information available at present suggests that cytosolic pH plays a permissive role in cellular growth and proliferation, but is neither a trigger nor an essential step in the mitogenic signal transduction cascade. Concerning apoptosis, it is clear that lowering the pH in vitro can activate DNase II. However, the evidence linking cytosolic acidification with DNA degradation in vivo is presently not convincing. We conclude that the cytosolic pH, an essential physiological parameter that is tightly controlled by multiple, complementary, or redundant systems, is unlikely to play a role in signalling either cell growth or death.

Recurrent renal cell carcinoma after 45 years.

Late recurrence of renal cell carcinoma (RCC), arbitrarily defined as > 10 years post nephrectomy, is rare. The longest known clinical disease-free interval of 36 years was reported by Walter and Gellespie in 1960. We report a case of recurrent RCC presenting 45 years after nephrectomy.

Fc receptor-triggered insertion of secretory granules into the plasma membrane of human neutrophils: selective retrieval during phagocytosis.

We studied the kinetics of secretion in human neutrophils stimulated by IgG-opsonized zymosan. Secretion of azurophilic and specific granules was quantified measuring the appearance of the granule markers CD63 and CD66b, respectively, at the cell surface. The kinetics of secretion was compared with the course of phagocytosis, revealed by the trapping of the fluid phase marker, Lucifer Yellow, in vacuoles containing zymosan particles. We found that secretion of both azurophilic and specific granules precedes phagosome sealing. An initial rapid phase of secretion was followed by a decrease in the amount of CD63 and CD66b at the cell surface. This subsequent disappearance of surface CD63 and CD66b was inhibited by cytochalasin B and probably represents internalization of the granular markers into the forming phagosome. The decrease in the amount of CD63 and CD66b exposed at the cell surface was not accompanied by a commensurate reduction in cell surface area, measured with the amphiphilic fluorescent dye FM1-43. These findings imply that CD63 and CD66b are selectively retrieved from the plasma membrane following secretion. Evidence is also presented that calcium is not the sole mediator of the rapid secretion of azurophilic and specific granules triggered by IgG-opsonized particles and that cytochalasin does not impair signaling of the calcium transient elicited by Fc receptors. Instead, actin disassembly appears to reduce the efficiency of the interaction between opsonized particles and their receptors, an effect that can be overcome by increasing the concentration of the stimulating particles.

The secretion of preformed granules by macrophages and neutrophils.

The ability of macrophages and neutrophils to defend tissue homeostasis and participate in inflammatory responses depends on their ability to mobilize granule-membrane proteins and granule content into their external milieu and into phagosomes by regulated secretory processes. Many laboratories have invested much time and effort into furthering our understanding of vesicular transport and secretion. A surge of interest in phagocytosis and phagosomal maturation is also apparent (e.g., the March 1995 issue of Trends in Cell Biology was entirely devoted to phagocytosis). The signaling and the regulation of the secretory response are most likely different for secretion into phagosomes than for secretion into the external milieu. However, these differentially targeted secretory processes rely both upon proteins in vesicular membranes, plasma membrane/phagosomal membrane, and cytosol and upon their interactions with cytoskeletal structures. It is the complex molecular interactions between these components that form the basis for regulation and control of secretion. In the following, the signaling role of granular and cytosolic pH in phagocyte lysosomal secretion is discussed and the current literature on regulated secretion by macrophages and neutrophils is reviewed.

Protein kinase C and intracellular pH regulate zymosan-induced lysosomal enzyme secretion in macrophages.

Binding of zymosan particles to macrophage beta-glucan receptors has previously been shown to trigger exocytosis of preformed lysosomal contents. In the present study, the involvement of Ca(2+)-, PKC-, and pH-dependent processes in the signaling to macrophage lysosomal secretion by zymosan was investigated. Also, the PKC dependence of lysosomal secretion in response to some soluble agents that directly alters intracellular pH was considered. Signaling to macrophage lysosomal secretion differs from that of many other secretory systems, because an elevation of cytosolic Ca2+ did not trigger a large secretory response, nor did attempts to reduce cytosolic Ca2+ affect the lysosomal secretory response to other stimuli. PKC activation by phorbol diester was also a poor stimulus of lysosomal secretion. However, when triggered by zymosan or by soluble stimuli raising lysosomal pH, the secretory response could be down-regulated by a prior prolonged incubation with phorbol diester. Such treatment also had marked effects on the binding and uptake of zymosan particles, the study of which was made possible by a novel approach. Furthermore, a synergistic effect on lysosomal secretion was obtained when stimuli that elevated lysosomal pH and stimuli that activated PKC were combined. This is of likely relevance for the secretory response to zymosan particles, a stimulus that both activates PKC and elevates lysosomal pH. The secretory response to zymosan was furthermore shown to be inhibited by a reduction of extracellular pH or [Na+], conditions that impair macrophage extrusion of acid equivalents. Earlier studies using soluble stimuli have shown a sensitivity of the secretory response to changes in cytosolic pH. We suggest a model in which the lysosomal secretory response to an elevation of lysosomal pH (1) is dependent on basal PKC activity and (2) can be enhanced further by activation of PKC. We consider PKC activity and elevation of lysosomal pH as independent and necessary signals, while cytosolic pH has a modulatory effect on some component(s) in the signal transduction pathway or in the secretory apparatus itself.

Bafilomycin A1 inhibits lysosomal, phagosomal, and plasma membrane H(+)-ATPase and induces lysosomal enzyme secretion in macrophages.

Bafilomycin A1, a specific inhibitor of H(+)-ATPases of the vacuolar type, was in the present study shown, at similar concentrations, to induce secretion of lysosomal enzyme and to elevate lysosomal pH in mouse macrophages. These results lend support to the previous suggestion of a triggering role for an increase in lysosomal pH and a permissive role for cytosolic pH in the exocytosis of macrophage lysosomal enzyme. Vacuolar H(+)-ATPases are present in the macrophage plasma membrane as well as in intracellular membranes, for example, those of the lysosomal and phagosomal compartments. Phagosomal acidification was shown to be achieved in part by a mechanism with a similar sensitivity to bafilomycin A1 as lysosomal H+ transport and in part by an early, bafilomycin A1-insensitive mechanism. We found a lesser sensitivity towards bafilomycin A1 of the lysosomal and phagosomal H(+)-ATPase than that localized in the plasma membrane, indicating differences among H(+)-ATPases at the subcellular level. Also, by attempts to mobilize lysosomal H(+)-ATPase to the plasma membrane, support was obtained for the notion that subcellular H(+)-ATPase populations differ and thus possibly could be differentially regulated.

Glucan receptor and zymosan-induced lysosomal enzyme secretion in macrophages.

A receptor for beta-glucan was in the present study shown to mediate binding of zymosan particles to resident mouse peritoneal macrophages. Lysosomal enzyme secretion in response to zymosan was maximal at a low particle/cell ratio, continuous for at least 3 h after particle/cell contact and inhibitable by soluble glucan. Latex particles of various size caused no selective secretory response, but at high particle/cell ratios were toxic. By use of a fluorescent ligand, the macrophage beta-glucan receptor was shown to be trypsin-sensitive, Ca2+/Mg(2+)-independent, recirculating and also present in an intracellular mobilizable pool. Binding of ligand to the beta-glucan receptor and inhibition of the lysosomal secretory response to zymosan were both more efficient with glucans of larger size, indicating that clustering of glucan receptors at the cell surface occurs. Such clustering could stabilize ligand binding by multiple interactions and possibly trigger intracellular signaling events on binding of zymosan particles.

Dexamethasone downregulates lysosomal secretion in mouse macrophages: involvement of signaling through protein kinase C.

Spectrofluorimetric methods were used to investigate the effects of dexamethasone (dex) on cytosolic and lysosomal pH and on macrophage secretion of lysosomal contents. Secretion of N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase (NAG) in response to zymosan particles, lysosomotropic methylamine, or the H(+)-ATPase inhibitor bafilomycin A1 was inhibited by pretreatment with dex. The inhibition was not reversed by mannan and was seen also when secretion of preloaded fluorescein-labelled dextran was monitored, demonstrating that dex did not exert its effect by enhancing the reuptake of lysosomal enzyme. The binding of zymosan particles to macrophages was diminished after dex treatment, as was the zymosan-induced phospholipase C activation. However, the decreased binding of zymosan did not alone account for the inhibition of phospholipase C activation. Also, cytosolic pH was lowered by dex treatment. This might contribute to the inhibition of lysosomal secretion, but restoration of cytosolic pH by an increase in extracellular pH did not restore the secretory response. Lysosomal secretion induced by a combination of protein kinase C (PKC)-activating phorbol ester and methylamine was more resistant to dex than secretion induced by methylamine alone, or other secretagogues. We interpret this, together with previous data, to indicate that dex inhibits macrophage lysosomal secretion by attenuating one or more step(s) in a PKC-mediated signaling pathway necessary for the secretory response.

Cytosolic pH regulation in mouse macrophages. Proton extrusion by plasma-membrane-localized H(+)-ATPase.

Recent evidence indicates that H+ extrusion in macrophages is in part accomplished by a H(+)-ATPase of vacuolar type. The presence and plasma-membrane localization of such a mechanism in adherent resident macrophages was verified by inhibition of H+ extrusion, monitored by changes in both cytosolic pH (pHi) and extracellular pH, with low concentrations of the H(+)-ATPase inhibitors N-ethylmaleimide and 7-chloro-4-nitrobenz-2-oxa-1,3-diazole. The H(+)-ATPase was operative at physiological pHi levels, thus contributing to maintenance of steady-state pHi. It was further shown to be sensitive to the plasma-membrane potential, with hyperpolarization being strongly inhibitory. In addition, H+ extrusion mediated by the H(+)-ATPase and the generation and release of lactic acid caused acidification of the pericellular space and could enable secreted lysosomal hydrolases to act extracellularly.

Cytosolic pH regulation in mouse macrophages. Characteristics of HCO3(-)-dependent mechanisms.

Mechanisms regulating cytosolic pH (pHi) in adherent resident mouse macrophages have been characterized by use of the pH-sensitive fluorescent probe 2',7'-bis(carboxyethyl)-5(6)-carboxyfluorescein (BCECF). Na+/H+ exchange was activated after an acid load of the macrophage cytosol. However, when Na+/H+ exchange was the only pHi-regulatory mechanism operative, recovery did not proceed beyond a pHi of approx. 6.6. The mechanisms found to be operative at physiological pHi levels were alkalinizing Na(+)-dependent and acidifying Na(+)-independent Cl-/HCO3- exchangers and a H(+)-ATPase further characterized in the accompanying paper [Tapper & Sundler (1992) Biochem. J. 281, 245-250]. Acid extrusion via Na+/Cl-/HCO3- exchange was demonstrated by the dependence on external Na+ and HCO3- and on internal Cl- and by the sensitivity to 4-acetamido-4'-isothiocyanatostilbene-2,2'-disulphonic acid (SITS) and 4,4'-di-isothiocyanatostilbene-2,2'-disulphonic acid (DIDS). By monitoring pHi changes upon Cl- removal and re-addition, the pH-dependence and sensitivity to SITS were found to differ for the alkalinizing and the acidifying Cl-/HCO3- exchangers.

Role of lysosomal and cytosolic pH in the regulation of macrophage lysosomal enzyme secretion.

Rapid and parallel secretion of lysosomal beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase and preloaded fluorescein-labelled dextran was initiated in macrophages by agents affecting intracellular pH (methylamine, chlorpromazine, and the ionophores monensin and nigericin). In order to evaluate the relative role of changes in lysosomal and cytosolic pH, these parameters were monitored by using pH-sensitive fluorescent probes [fluorescein-labelled dextran or 2',7'-bis(carboxyethyl)-5(6)-carboxyfluorescein]. All agents except chlorpromazine caused large increases in lysosomal pH under conditions where they induced secretion. By varying extracellular pH and ion composition, the changes in lysosomal and cytosolic pH could be dissociated. Secretion was then found to be significantly modulated by changes in cytosolic pH, being enhanced by alkalinization and severely inhibited by cytosolic acidification. However, changes in cytosolic pH in the absence of stimulus were unable to initiate secretion. Dissociation of the effects on lysosomal and cytosolic pH was also achieved by combining stimuli with either nigericin or acetate. Further support for a role of intracellular pH in the control of lysosomal enzyme secretion was provided by experiments where bicarbonate was included in the medium. The present study demonstrates that an increase in lysosomal pH is sufficient to initiate lysosomal enzyme secretion in macrophages and provides evidence for a significant regulatory role of cytosolic pH.