Signal integration in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated murine macrophages.

Using a panel of LPS-inducible genes, selected for the capacity of their products to contribute to endotoxicity, normal macrophages were compared to macrophages deficient in CD14, CD11b/CD18, or TLR4 to elicit gene expression in response to Escherichia coli LPS or the LPS mimetic, Taxol. All genes were TLR4-dependent. At low doses of LPS or Taxol, all genes were also CD14-dependent; however, IP-10 and ICSBP remained poorly inducible even at much higher concentrations. A distinct subset of genes (COX-2, IL-12 p40, and IL-12 p35) was CD11b/CD18-dependent. NF-B translocation and MAPK phosphorylation were dysregulated in receptor-deficient macrophages. In contrast to E. coli LPS, a Porphyromonas gingivalis LPS preparation was found to be TLR2-, rather than TLR4-dependent, and resulted in differential expression of genes within the panel. These data suggest that: (i) TLR4 is necessary, but not sufficient, to induce the full repertoire of genes examined; (ii) CD14 and CD11b/CD18 facilitate signaling for induction of select subsets of genes that are also TLR4-dependent; and (iii) signaling through TLR2 versus TLR4 differs quantitatively/qualitatively. These data support an LPS signaling complex on murine macrophages that minimally includes CD14, CD11b/CD18, and TLR4 to respond to E. coli LPS to elicit the full spectrum of gene expression.

CD11b/CD18 acts in concert with CD14 and Toll-like receptor (TLR) 4 to elicit full lipopolysaccharide and taxol-inducible gene expression.

Overproduction of inflammatory mediators by macrophages in response to Gram-negative LPS has been implicated in septic shock. Recent reports indicate that three membrane-associated proteins, CD14, CD11b/CD18, and Toll-like receptor (TLR) 4, may serve as LPS recognition and/or signaling receptors in murine macrophages. Therefore, the relative contribution of these proteins in the induction of cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2), IL-12 p35, IL-12 p40, TNF-alpha, IFN-inducible protein (IP)-10, and IFN consensus sequence binding protein (ICSBP) genes in response to LPS or the LPS-mimetic, Taxol, was examined using macrophages derived from mice deficient for these membrane-associated proteins. The panel of genes selected reflects diverse macrophage effector functions that contribute to the pathogenesis of septic shock. Induction of the entire panel of genes in response to low concentrations of LPS or Taxol requires the participation of both CD14 and TLR4, whereas high concentrations of LPS or Taxol elicit the expression of a subset of LPS-inducible genes in the absence of CD14. In contrast, for optimal induction of COX-2, IL-12 p35, and IL-12 p40 genes by low concentrations of LPS or by all concentrations of Taxol, CD11b/CD18 was also required. Mitigated induction of COX-2, IL-12 p35, and IL-12 p40 gene expression by CD11b/CD18-deficient macrophages correlated with a marked inhibition of NF-kappa B nuclear translocation and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) activation in response to Taxol and of NF-kappa B nuclear translocation in response to LPS. These findings suggest that for expression of a full repertoire of LPS-/Taxol-inducible genes, CD14, TLR4, and CD11b/CD18 must be coordinately engaged to deliver optimal signaling to the macrophage.

Use of a photoactivatable taxol analogue to identify unique cellular targets in murine macrophages: identification of murine CD18 as a major taxol-binding protein and a role for Mac-1 in taxol-induced gene expression.

Taxol, a potent antitumor agent that binds beta-tubulin and promotes microtubule assembly, results in mitotic arrest at the G2/M phase of the cell cycle. More recently, Taxol was shown to be a potent LPS mimetic in murine, but not in human macrophages, stimulating signaling pathways and gene expression indistinguishably from LPS. Although structurally unrelated to LPS, Taxol's LPS-mimetic activities are blocked by inactive structural analogues of LPS, indicating that despite the species-restricted effects of Taxol, LPS and Taxol share a common receptor/signaling complex that might be important in LPS-induced human diseases. To identify components of the putatively shared Taxol/LPS receptor, a novel, photoactivatable Taxol analogue was employed to identify unique Taxol-binding proteins in murine macrophage membranes. Seven major Taxol-binding proteins, ranging from approximately 50 to 200 kDa, were detected. Although photoactivatable Taxol analogue failed to bind to CD14, the prominent Taxol-binding protein was identified as CD18, the approximately 96-kDa common component of the beta2 integrin family. This finding was supported by the concomitant failure of macrophage membranes from Mac-1 knockout mice to express immunoreactive CD18 and the major Taxol-binding protein. In addition, Taxol-induced IL-12 p40 mRNA was markedly reduced in Mac-1 knockout macrophages and anti-Mac-1 Ab blocked secretion of IL-12 p70 in Taxol- and LPS-stimulated macrophages. Since CD18 has been described as a participant in LPS-induced binding and signal transduction, these data support the hypothesis that the interaction of murine CD18 with Taxol is involved in its proinflammatory activity.

Cutting edge: functional characterization of the effect of the C3H/HeJ defect in mice that lack an Lpsn gene: in vivo evidence for a dominant negative mutation.

A point mutation in the Tlr4 gene, which encodes Toll-like receptor 4, has recently been proposed to underlie LPS hyporesponsiveness in C3H/HeJ mice (Lpsd). The data presented herein demonstrate that F1 progeny from crosses between mice that carry a approximately 9-cM deletion of chromosome 4 (including deletion of LpsTlr4) and C3H/HeJ mice (i.e., Lps0 x Lpsd F1 mice) exhibit a pattern of LPS sensitivity, measured by TNF activity, that is indistinguishable from that exhibited by Lpsn x Lpsd F1 progeny and whose average response is "intermediate" to parental responses. Thus, these data provide clear functional support for the hypothesis that the C3H/HeJ defect exerts a dominant negative effect on LPS sensitivity; however, expression of a normal Toll-like receptor 4 molecule is apparently not required.

Lipopolysaccharide and its analog antagonists display differential serum factor dependencies for induction of cytokine genes in murine macrophages.

Monocytes/macrophages play a central role in mediating the effects of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) derived from gram-negative bacteria by the production of proinflammatory mediators. Recently, it was shown that the expression of cytokine genes for tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta), and interferon-inducible protein-10 (IP-10) by murine macrophages in response to low concentrations of LPS is entirely CD14 dependent. In this report, we show that murine macrophages respond to low concentrations of LPS (

CD14-dependent and CD14-independent signaling pathways in murine macrophages from normal and CD14 knockout mice stimulated with lipopolysaccharide or taxol.

The antitumor agent, Taxol, shares with bacterial LPS the ability to activate murine macrophages, and its LPS-mimetic effects are blocked by LPS analogue antagonists. Since CD14 is central to the recognition of LPS by macrophages, we sought to examine a role for CD14 in the response to Taxol vs LPS. A comparison of responses of macrophages from wild-type mice with those from mice lacking CD14 due to a targeted disruption of the CD14 gene (CD14-deficient knockout (CD14KO)) revealed that like LPS, Taxol induces both CD14-dependent and -independent pathways of gene activation, although the CD14 dependency of Taxol stimulation is much less striking than that observed with LPS. The macrophage interaction with low concentrations of LPS (< or = 10 ng/ml) is largely CD14 dependent, as evidenced by the lack of induction of TNF-alpha, IL-1beta, and interferon-inducible protein-10 (IP-10) genes by CD14KO macrophages cultured in the absence of soluble CD14 (i.e., in autologous CD14KO -/- mouse serum). However, at high concentrations of LPS or Taxol, a CD14-independent pathway of activation is observed: this pathway leads to minimal IP-10 gene induction, even though induction of TNF-alpha and IL-1beta occurs. Measurements of TNF secretion followed a similar pattern to that observed at the level of steady state mRNA. These data suggest the existence of two pathways of activation by both LPS and Taxol: one that is CD14 dependent and leads to induction of TNF-alpha, IL-1beta, and IP-10 gene induction, and a CD14-independent pathway that results in the induction of TNF-alpha and IL-1beta, with minimal induction of IP-10.

Paclitaxel (Taxol)-induced NF-kappaB translocation in murine macrophages.

Interaction of bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) with macrophages results in the induction of a cascade of cytokines that mediate the varied effects of LPS. An early intracellular signaling event that follows receptor engagement is the activation of transcription factor NF-kappaB. Nf-kappaB has been shown to be important for the induction of many LPS-inducible cytokine genes, including tumor necrosis factor alpha, interleukin-1beta, and interleukin-6. Previously, we and others have shown that the antitumor agent paclitaxel (Taxol) is able to mimic bacterial LPS in its ability to activate murine macrophages. In this report, we have extended these findings by demonstrating that paclitaxel, like LPS, is able to stimulate the translocation of primarily p50-p65 heterodimers of NF-kappaB to the nucleus. This activation is dose dependent and requires a concentration of > or =5 microM paclitaxel. The kinetics of NF-kappaB activation by paclitaxel are slower than those of LPS: by 15 min poststimulation, LPS-induced NF-kappaB activation was readily detected, whereas the paclitaxel-induced NF-kappaB activation was minimal. Moreover, paclitaxel- and protein-free LPS-induced translocation of NF-kappaB was seen only in macrophages derived from LPS-responsive C3H/OuJ mice and not from the LPS-hyporesponsive C3H/HeJ mice, a finding that is consistent with those of previous genetic studies linking paclitaxel responsiveness to the Lps gene. Finally, the LPS structural antagonist Rhodobacter sphaeroides diphosphoryl lipid A inhibited both LPS-and paclitaxel-induced NF-kappaB activation, suggesting a common receptor component in this activation.

Defective ceramide response in C3H/HeJ (Lpsd) macrophages.

Lipid second messengers are gaining recognition as important mediators of extracellular signals. One such lipid, ceramide, generated from membrane sphingomyelin following stimulation with TNF-alpha, IL-1 beta, or IFN-gamma, activates ceramide-activated kinase (CAK). A recent study demonstrated that LPS activated CAK without generating ceramide, suggesting that the LPS stimulation of cells mimics the second messenger function of ceramide. To compare ceramide to LPS signaling, we assessed the ability of LPS-responsive (Lpsn) and LPS-hyporesponsive (Lpsd) macrophages to respond directly to ceramide for enhanced expression of LPS-inducible genes. In contrast to macrophages from C3H/Ouj (Lpsn) mice, C3H/Hej (Lpsd) macrophages failed to respond to cellpermeable analogues of ceramide (C2,C6,C16) or sphingomyelinase. These results suggest that a common critical molecule, encoded by the Lps gene, regulates both ceramide and LPS signaling pathways.

The serine/threonine phosphatase inhibitor, calyculin A, inhibits and dissociates macrophage responses to lipopolysaccharide.

LPS-stimulated macrophages (M phi) produce inflammatory mediators that are largely responsible for the pathophysiology associated with septic shock. M phi respond to LPS with rapid protein phosphorylation and dephosphorylation on serine, threonine, and tyrosine residues. If these events are critical for the cellular response to LPS, the kinases and/or phosphatases involved may be vulnerable targets for pharmacologic intervention. Recent studies demonstrated that tyrosine kinase inhibitors block LPS-induced tyrosine phosphorylation of MAP kinases as well as TNF-alpha and IL-1 beta production. To investigate a role for serine/threonine phosphatases, we evaluated the effect of calyculin A, a potent serine/threonine phosphatase inhibitor, on LPS stimulation of murine M phi. Pretreatment of M phi with calyculin A inhibited LPS-induced expression of six immediate-early genes: TNF-alpha, IL-1 beta, IFN-beta, IP-10, IRF-1, and TNFR-2. Calyculin A added 1.5 h after LPS treatment greatly reduced accumulation of IP-10, IRF-1, and TNFR-2 mRNA, but not TNF-alpha, IL-1 beta, and IFN-beta mRNA. Calyculin A, in the absence or presence of LPS, resulted in sustained tyrosine phosphorylation of the MAP kinases. These findings suggest that an "early" serine/threonine phosphatase activity is essential for LPS stimulation of M phi and that the activation of MAP kinases is not sufficient for the induction of these immediate-early genes. The requirement for a "late" phosphatase activity for expression of a subset of LPS-inducible genes dissociates at least two regulatory pathways in LPS signal transduction.

Dissection of LPS-induced signaling pathways in murine macrophages using LPS analogs, LPS mimetics, and agents unrelated to LPS.

The model in Figure 3 summarizes the data presented above. Using the induction of the select panel of LPS-inducible genes and the phosphorylation on tyrosine of specific MAP kinases, we have been able to dissociate three signaling pathways shared by LPS and its analogs and mimetics: a pathway that leads to tyrosine phosphorylation, one that leads to the induction of a gene subset including TNF alpha, TNFR-2, and IL-1 beta, and a pathway that results in induction of IP-10, D3, and D8 gene expression. It is still unclear if macrophage activation by non-LPS products occurs entirely through distinct yet redundant pathways or if other signaling receptors ultimately tie into the same intermediate pathways. This approach may identify particular stimuli as tools to induce specific pathways leading to select gene subsets and/or tyrosine kinase activation and, perhaps, identify a pathway deficient in C3H/HeJ macrophages.

Activation of LPS-inducible genes by the antitumor agent 5,6-dimethylxanthenone-4-acetic acid in primary murine macrophages. Dissection of signaling pathways leading to gene induction and tyrosine phosphorylation.

The synthetic flavone analogue 5,6-dimethylxanthenone-4-acetic acid (5,6-MeXAA) has shown promise as an antitumor agent and is currently a candidate for clinical trials. Because 5,6-MeXAA has been shown in a murine macrophage and a human myelomonocytic cell line to induce TNF-alpha mRNA and to activate macrophages to become tumoricidal, actions that are shared with bacterial LPS, we sought to determine the level of LPS mimetic activity exhibited by this low m.w. macrophage-activating agent. To elucidate its mechanisms of action, the capacity to induce a panel of LPS-inducible genes was assessed. 5,6-MeXAA was found to induce a subset of LPS-inducible genes within the panel in both Lpsn and Lpsd primary murine macrophages. Of the six LPS-inducible genes examined, there was marked induction of IP-10, D8, and D3; low induction of TNF-alpha gene expression; and insignificant induction of TNFR-2 and IL-1 beta genes. 5,6-MeXAA was also found to be a potent inducer of IFNs in macrophages of both strains, and of increased expression of the genes that encode the IFN regulatory factors IRF-1, IRF-2, and ICSBP. In contrast with LPS, 5,6-MeXAA failed to induce significantly any of the 40- to 45-kDa tyrosine phosphoproteins induced by LPS. These data suggest that 5,6-MeXAA shares with LPS certain biochemical pathways that lead to gene induction and allow for the additional dissection of the relationship of tyrosine phosphorylation and the expression of specific genes.

Inhibition of LPS-mediated cell activation in vitro and in vivo by gangliosides.

Addition of purified GM1 gangliosides inhibited lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated proliferation of purified B cells by greater than 90%. Addition of gangliosides to B cells as late as 120 min after the addition of LPS still inhibited B-cell proliferation, suggesting that inhibition did not simply reflect direct binding of LPS to gangliosides. Gangliosides also inhibited proliferation of B cells stimulated by anti-Ig antibodies, albeit to a lesser degree than inhibition of the LPS-stimulated response. The finding that B-cell proliferation stimulated by the combination of PMA+ionomycin was also inhibited by gangliosides suggests that its inhibitory activity did not reflect interference with binding of the B-cell stimuli to membrane receptors. The inhibitory effect of gangliosides was not restricted to B cells, since LPS-induced TNF production by macrophages was also inhibited in vitro. The inhibitory activity of gangliosides was also seen in vivo, and mice injected with soluble gangliosides or implanted with slow-release pellets impregnated with gangliosides showed reduced TNF production in vivo in response to LPS. Mice that were implanted with these slow-release pellets were also protected from LPS-induced lethality. Thus, while only 10% of control mice survived injection with LPS+galactosamine, the experimental group showed a 64% survival. It is likely that this protective effect reflects the ability of gangliosides to suppress LPS-mediated TNF production. This model provides a basis for studying a regulatory role for gangliosides in B-cell activation in vitro and macrophage activation in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, it suggests new approaches to suppress the toxic effects induced by LPS in vivo.

Construction of a BALB/c congenic mouse, C.C3H-Lpsd, that expresses the Lpsd allele: analysis of chromosome 4 markers surrounding the Lps gene.

Development of a congenic BALB/c mouse strain that contains a segment of chromosome 4 including the Lpsd allele of the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-hyporesponsive C3H/HeJ strain is presented. On the basis of LPS-induced spleen cell mitogenesis, macrophage tumor necrosis factor secretion, and tyrosine phosphorylation in vitro and lethality in galactosamine-sensitized mice in vivo, the C.C3H-Lpsd strain provides a model of LPS hyporesponsiveness that is comparable to that of the parental C3H/HeJ strain. Analysis of markers in this region indicates that length of the donor fragment is approximately 5.5 centimorgans. Thus, the C.C3H-Lpsd strain provides an important genetic tool for analysis of markers in this region and for examining functional effects of Lpsd expression on the BALB/c background.

CD14-mediated translocation of nuclear factor-kappa B induced by lipopolysaccharide does not require tyrosine kinase activity.

During the course of serious bacterial infections, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is believed to interact with macrophage receptors, resulting in the generation of inflammatory mediators and systemic symptoms including hemodynamic instability and shock. CD14, a glycosylphosphatidylinositol-linked antigen, functions as an LPS signaling receptor. A critical issue concerns the mechanism by which CD14, which has no transmembrane domain, transduces its signal following LPS binding. Recently, investigators have hypothesized that CD14-mediated signaling is effected through a receptor-associated tyrosine kinase (TK), suggesting a multicomponent receptor model of LPS signaling. Wild-type Chinese hamster ovary (CHO)-K1 cells can be activated by endotoxin to release arachidonate following transfection with human CD14 (CHO/CD14). Nuclear translocation of cytosolic NF-kappa B is correlated with a number of LPS-inducible responses. We sought to determine if this pathway were present in CHO/CD14 cells and to elucidate the relationship of NF-kappa B activation to the CD14 receptor system. LPS-stimulated translocation of NF-kappa B in CHO/CD14 cells resembled the same response in the murine macrophage-like cell line RAW 264.7. Protein synthesis inhibitors and corticosteroids, which suppress arachidonate release and the synthesis of proinflammatory cytokines, had no effect on translocation of NF-kappa B in CHO/CD14 or RAW 264.7 cells, demonstrating that NF-kappa B translocation is an early event. Although TK activity was consistently observed by immunoblotting extracts from activated RAW 264.7 cells, LPS-induced phosphotyrosine residues were not observed from similarly treated CHO/CD14 cells. Furthermore, the TK inhibitors herbimycin A and genistein failed to inhibit translocation of NF-kappa B in CHO/CD14 or RAW 264.7 cells, although both of these agents inhibited LPS-induced TK activity in RAW 264.7 cells. These results imply that TK activity is not obligatory for CD14-mediated signal transduction to occur in response to LPS.

Endotoxin-induced early gene expression in C3H/HeJ (Lpsd) macrophages.

C3H/HeJ (Lpsd) macrophages have been shown to respond to certain LPSs, especially from rough mutant bacteria. C3H/OuJ (Lpsn) macrophages are induced by wild-type LPS, rough LPS, or lipid A to express many genes, including TNF-alpha, TNFR-2, IL-1 beta, IP-10, D3, and D8. C3H/HeJ macrophages failed to induce any of these genes when cultured with wild-type LPS or synthetic lipid A, even when pretreated with IFN-gamma. However, rough mutant Salmonella minnesota Ra, Rc, and Rd LPS, and Escherichia coli D31 m3 Rd LPS induced Lpsd macrophages to express a subset of genes within the gene panel. Because bioactive preparations contained trace quantities of endotoxin protein(s), a deoxycholate-modified, phenol-water method was used to repurify rough LPS into an aqueous phase, and extract endotoxin proteins into a phenol phase. Repurified LPS failed to stimulate Lpsd macrophages; however, phenol fractions were approximately 10% as potent in Lpsd macrophages as crude rough LPS. Full potency was restored in C3H/HeJ macrophages when aqueous phase LPS and phenol-phase proteins were co-precipitated, suggesting that LPS and endotoxin proteins interact synergistically. Endotoxin proteins alone induced TNF-alpha, TNFR-2, and IL-1 beta, but not IP-10, D3, and D8 genes in both Lpsd and Lpsn macrophages. Tyrosine phosphorylation of three 41- to 47-kDa proteins was induced by endotoxin proteins, but not by LPS, in Lpsd macrophages. Thus, endotoxin proteins seem to activate a signaling pathway(s) that converges (distal to the Lps gene product) with a subset of LPS-signaling pathways.

Toxoplasma gondii soluble antigen induces a subset of lipopolysaccharide-inducible genes and tyrosine phosphoproteins in peritoneal macrophages.

Previous studies have shown that macrophages play an important role in both the initiation of protective responses and the effector mechanism of immunity to Toxoplasma gondii. The purpose of this investigation was to characterize the responses of macrophages to a soluble antigen extract of T. gondii tachyzoites (STAg) in comparison with a prototypic macrophage-activating agent, lipopolysaccharide (LPS), and to determine whether STAg-induced signaling requires a functional Lps gene. Toward this end, tumor necrosis factor (TNF) secretion, a panel of six LPS-inducible genes, and protein tyrosine phosphorylation were examined to gain insights into macrophage responses to STAg. STAg stimulated both C3H/OuJ (Lpsn) and C3H/HeJ (Lpsd) macrophages to secrete bioactive TNF-alpha and to express a subset of LPS-inducible genes (encoding TNF-alpha, TNF receptor 2, and interleukin-1 beta). In contrast to LPS, STAg failed to stimulate Lpsn or Lpsd macrophages to express genes encoding IP-10, D3, or D8. STAg also induced a pattern of tyrosine phosphorylation identical to that induced by LPS; mitogen-activated protein kinase 47-kDa and 43-kDa isoforms and a 41-kDa protein of undetermined identity were inducibly phosphorylated. The ability of STAg to induce TNF-alpha, encoded by a subset of LPS-inducible genes, and tyrosine phosphoproteins was not affected by LPS inhibitors, confirming that the macrophage response to the parasite extract could not be attributed to LPS contamination. We propose that STAg, while differing from LPS in the pattern of macrophage genes induced, may share with LPS two signaling pathways that are intact in Lpsd macrophages.

Taxol provides a second signal for murine macrophage tumoricidal activity.

The anticancer drug, taxol, blocks cell division by stabilizing microtubules. However, taxol has distinct cell-cycle-independent effects. For example, taxol and bacterial LPS induce strikingly similar responses in murine macrophages. Here we report that taxol, like LPS, provides a "second" signal for murine macrophage activation to tumoricidal activity. Tumoricidal activity was determined by the release of 51Cr from prelabeled P815 mastocytoma target cells. Taxol or LPS alone weakly induced C3H/OuJ (Lpsn) murine macrophages to kill P815 mastocytoma cells, and tumoricidal activity was not induced by the classic "priming" signal, IFN-gamma. However, combinations of taxol or LPS with IFN-gamma synergized to activate macrophages to lyse tumor cells. Taxol activation of macrophages required an intact LPS signaling pathway, as taxol did not induce IFN-gamma-treated C3H/HeJ (Lpsd) macrophages to lyse target cells. In normal (Lpsn) murine macrophages, IFN-gamma, LPS, or taxol alone induced low or moderate levels of nitric oxide synthase gene expression and nitric oxide secretion. However, this gene and cytostatic metabolite were induced synergistically by combinations of taxol or LPS with IFN-gamma. Secretion of nitric oxide correlated with tumor cell killing, and taxol-activated macrophages failed to kill tumor targets in the presence of NG-monomethyl-L-arginine, a competitive inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase. The data illustrate the potential for taxol to activate macrophage mediated-antitumor mechanisms in addition to its better characterized role as an anti-mitotic agent.

Modulation of lipopolysaccharide-induced macrophage gene expression by Rhodobacter sphaeroides lipid A and SDZ 880.431.

Rhodobacter sphaeroides lipid A (RsDPLA) and SDZ 880.431 (3-aza-lipid X-4-phosphate) are prototypic lipopolysaccharide (LPS) antagonists. Herein, we examined the ability of these structures to regulate murine macrophage tumor necrosis factor (TNF) secretion and LPS-inducible gene expression (tumor necrosis factor alpha [TNF-alpha], interleukin-1 beta [IL-1 beta], IP-10, type 2 TNF receptor [TNFR-2], D3, and D8 genes). We report that RsDPLA alone (> 1 microgram/ml) induced low levels of TNF-alpha secretion and a selective pattern of gene expression in peritoneal exudate macrophages; SDZ 880.431 alone was completely inactive. When LPS was present at a low concentration (1 ng/ml), RsDPLA and SDZ 880.431 blocked TNF secretion and gene induction in a concentration-dependent fashion. In general, gene induction was measurably reduced by 10 to 30 ng of RsDPLA per ml or 300 ng of SDZ 880.431 per ml, but inhibition could be uniformly overridden by increasing the concentration of LPS. Although induction of all six genes by LPS was suppressed by either inhibitor, effective inhibitor concentrations depended on the gene of interest. Induction of TNFR-2 by LPS was relatively resistant to inhibition by RsDPLA, and induction of TNFR-2 and D3 was relatively resistant to inhibition by SDZ 880.431. When LPS was present at > or = 100 ng/ml, correspondingly high concentrations (> or = 20 micrograms/ml) of either inhibitor influenced gene expression in a bidirectional manner. Under these conditions, LPS-induced expression of IP-10, D3, and D8 was suppressed regardless of the LPS concentration used (concentrations tested up to 50 micrograms/ml), while expression of TNF-alpha mRNA was enhanced about fourfold. In toto, RsDPLA and SDZ 880.431, when present at low concentrations, act in a manner consistent with competitive inhibition of LPS, while at higher concentrations, these structures inhibit certain LPS responses noncompetitively and synergize with LPS for other responses.

Dissociation of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-inducible gene expression in murine macrophages pretreated with smooth LPS versus monophosphoryl lipid A.

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and the nontoxic derivative of lipid A, monophosphoryl lipid A (MPL), were employed to assess the relationship between expression of LPS-inducible inflammatory genes and the induction of tolerance to LPS in murine macrophages. Both LPS and MPL induced expression (as assessed by increased steady-state mRNA levels) of a panel of seven "early" inflammatory genes including the tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin-1 beta, type 2 TNF receptor (TNFR-2), IP-10, D3, D8, and D2 genes (the last four represent LPS-inducible early genes whose functions remain unknown). In addition, LPS and MPL were both capable of inducing tolerance to LPS. The two stimuli differed in the relative concentration required to induce various outcome measures, with LPS being 100- to 1,000-fold more potent on a mass concentration basis. Characterization of the tolerant state identified three distinct categories of responsiveness. Two genes (IP-10 and D8) exhibited strong desensitization in macrophages pretreated with tolerance-inducing concentrations of either LPS or MPL. In macrophages rendered tolerant by pretreatment with LPS or MPL, a second group of inducible mRNAs (TNF-alpha, interleukin-1 beta, and D3) showed moderate suppression of response to secondary stimulation by LPS. The third category of inducible genes (TNFR-2 and D2) showed increased expression in macrophages pretreated with tolerance-inducing concentrations of either LPS or MPL. All of the LPS-inducible genes examined exhibited modest superinduction with less than tolerance-inducing concentrations of either stimulus, suggesting a priming effect of these adjuvants at low concentration. The differential behavior of the members of this panel of endotoxin-responsive genes thus offers insight into molecular events associated with acquisition of transient tolerance to LPS.