Specific binding of glucosaminylmuramyl peptides to histones. (1/426)

Intracellular N-acetylglucosaminylmuramyl peptide-binding proteins of murine macrophages and myelomonocytic WEHI-3 cells were characterized. SDS-PAGE and Western blotting revealed proteins with molecular masses of 18, 32 and 34 kDa retaining the ability to specifically bind glucosaminylmuramyl dipeptide. The inhibition analysis demonstrated that only biologically active muramyl peptides but not inactive analogs or fragments of glucosaminylmuramyl dipeptide could inhibit glucosaminylmuramyl dipeptide-binding to these proteins. Purification of these proteins and sequencing of peptides obtained after in-gel trypsin digestion enabled us to identify the above mentioned proteins as histones H1 and H3. These findings suggest that nuclear histones might be target molecules for muramyl peptides.  (+info)

Adjuvant therapy for melanoma in dogs: results of randomized clinical trials using surgery, liposome-encapsulated muramyl tripeptide, and granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor. (2/426)

Spontaneous canine oral melanoma (COM) is a highly metastatic cancer, resistant to chemotherapy, and can serve as a model for cancer immunotherapy. Liposome-encapsulated muramyl tripeptide-phosphatidylethanolamine (L-MTP-PE) can activate the tumoricidal activity of the monocyte-macrophage system following i.v. injection. The objective of these studies was to evaluate the therapeutic effectiveness of L-MTP-PE administered alone and combined with recombinant canine granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor (rcGM-CSF) in dogs undergoing surgery for oral melanoma. Ninety-eight dogs with histologically confirmed, clinically staged, oral melanoma were entered into two randomized, double-blind, surgical adjuvant trials. In trial 1, 50 dogs were stratified based on clinical stage and randomized to once a week L-MTP-PE or lipid equivalent (control). When all of the clinical stages were combined, no difference in disease-free survival or in survival time (ST) were detected. However, within stage I, dogs receiving L-MTP-PE had a significant increase in ST compared with control, with 80% of the dogs treated with L-MTP-PE still alive at >2 years. Within each stage II and stage III, there was no difference detected between the treatment groups. In trial 2, 48 dogs were stratified on the basis of clinical stage and extent of surgery (simple resection or radical excision), treated with L-MTP-PE two times a week, and randomized to rcGM-CSF or saline (placebo) given s.c. daily for 9 weeks. Within each stage and when all of the stages were combined, there was no difference between the treatment groups. In both studies, stage I COM is associated with a better prognosis. No effect on survival was observed with regard to tumor location in the oral cavity, sex, type/extent of surgery, or age. In a subset of dogs tested, pulmonary alveolar macrophage cytotoxicity was enhanced with combined rcGM-CSF and L-MTP-PE but not in dogs treated with L-MTP-PE alone. The present study indicates that after surgery, L-MTP-PE administered alone or combined with rcGM-CSF showed no significant antitumor activity in treating advanced stage COM. In early stage COM, L-MTP-PE was shown to result in a prolongation of ST. Furthermore, this study provides additional rationale for the use of the dog model for human malignant melanoma.  (+info)

Biological activities of lipopolysaccharides of Proteus spp. and their interactions with polymyxin B and an 18-kDa cationic antimicrobial protein (CAP18)-derived peptide. (3/426)

The saccharide constituents of lipopolysaccharides (LPS) of Proteus spp. vary with the strain and contain unique components about which little is known. The biological activities of LPS and lipid A from S- and R-forms of 10 Proteus strains were examined. LPS from all S-form Proteus strains was lethal to D-(+)-galactosamine (GalN)-loaded, LPS-responsive, C3H/HeN mice, but not to LPS-hypo-responsive C3H/HeJ mice. P. vulgaris 025 LPS evoked strong anaphylactoid reactions in N-acetylmuramyl-L-alanyl-D-isoglutamine (MDP)-primed C3H/HeJ mice. LPS from S- and R-form Proteus strains induced production of nitric oxide (NO) and tumour necrosis factor (TNF) by macrophages isolated from C3H/HeN but not C3H/HeJ mice. Lipid A from Proteus strains also induced NO and TNF production, although lipid A was less potent than LPS. The effects of LPS were mainly dependent on CD14; LPS-induced NO and TNF production in CD14+ J774.1 cells was significantly greater than in CD14-J7.DEF.3 cells. All LPS from Proteus strains, and especially from P. vulgaris 025, exhibited higher anti-complementary activity than LPS from Escherichia coli or Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Polymyxin B inactivated proteus LPS in a dose-dependent manner, but these LPS preparations were more resistant to polymyxin B than E. coli LPS. CAP18(109-135), a granulocyte-derived peptide, inhibited proteus LPS endotoxicity only when the LPS:CAP18(109-135) ratio was appropriate, which suggests that CAP18(109-135) acts through a different mechanism than polymyxin B. The results indicate that LPS from Proteus spp. are potently endotoxic, but that the toxicity is different from that of LPS from E. coli or Salmonella spp. and even varies among different Proteus strains. The variation in biological activities among proteus LPS may be due to unique components within the respective LPS.  (+info)

Synergistic epithelial responses to endotoxin and a naturally occurring muramyl peptide. (4/426)

We have investigated the synergistic interactions of a naturally occurring peptidoglycan fragment (muramyl peptide) and bacterial endotoxin in the induction of inflammatory processes within respiratory epithelial cells, at the levels of both signal transduction events and ultimate cellular metabolic effects. The source of the muramyl peptide is Bordetella pertussis, the causative agent of the respiratory disease pertussis. During log-phase growth, B. pertussis releases the muramyl peptide tracheal cytotoxin (TCT), which has the structure N - acetylglucosaminyl - 1,6 - anhydro - N - acetylmuramyl - (L) - alanyl - gamma - (D) - glutamyl - meso - diaminopimelyl - (D) - alanine, equivalent to a monomeric subunit of gram-negative bacterial peptidoglycan. When applied to hamster trachea epithelial (HTE) cells, TCT and endotoxin were found to be highly synergistic in the induction of interleukin-1alpha (IL-1alpha), type II (inducible) nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), nitric oxide production, and inhibition of DNA synthesis. Neither molecule alone significantly triggered these responses. The serine/threonine protein kinase inhibitor H7 blocked induction of both IL-1alpha and iNOS. More selective inhibitors of protein kinase C, cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase, and cyclic GMP-dependent protein kinase were not capable of blocking the effects of TCT and endotoxin, suggesting that the H7-inhibited component in this pathway is not among the commonly described kinase targets of H7. Treatment of HTE cells with exogenous IL-1 reproduced the induction of iNOS and DNA synthesis inhibition caused by TCT and endotoxin. H7 was not capable of interfering with effects caused by exogenous IL-1, implying that the H7-sensitive step in the pathway is upstream of IL-1 protein production. Similar assays with the phorbol ester phorbol myristate acetate indicate that it could effectively synergize with endotoxin but not with TCT, suggesting that TCT and endotoxin induce different signal transduction events that combine synergistically. The synergy observed with TCT and endotoxin in epithelial cells is significantly different from their interaction with other cell types, revealing a unique inflammatory response by epithelial cells to these natural bacterial products.  (+info)

Scavenger receptor-mediated delivery of muramyl dipeptide activates antitumor efficacy of macrophages by enhanced secretion of tumor-suppressive cytokines. (5/426)

We showed that muramyl dipeptide (MDP) conjugated to maleylated bovine serum albumin (MBSA) was internalized by macrophages (Mphi) through scavenger receptor (SCR)-mediated endocytosis, which leads to 50-fold higher cytotoxic activity against non-Mphi tumor cells compared with that elicited by free MDP-treated Mphi. The enhanced cytotoxic effect of MBSA-MDP was found to be a result of higher secretion of interleukin (IL)-1, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), and nitric oxide (NO) because the addition of antibodies directed against IL-1, IL-6, or TNF-alpha in combination with Mphi cultures totally abrogated the tumoricidal activity of MBSA-MDP. It is interesting to note that MBSA-MDP triggers the secretion of IL-12, whereas IL-10, a Mphi suppressor cytokine, could be detected only on free MDP treatment. The cytotoxic activity of MBSA-MDP was inhibited by indomethacin, indicating a regulatory role for prostaglandin E2 (PGE2). Efficient SCR-mediated intracellular delivery of MDP leading to elimination of cancer cells suggests the immunotherapeutic potential of this approach for treatment of neoplasia.  (+info)

Prostaglandin E2 affects differently the release of inflammatory mediators from resident macrophages by LPS and muramyl tripeptides. (6/426)

LPS and MTP-PE (liposome-encapsulated N-acetyl-muramyl-L-alanyl-D-isoglutaminyl-L-alanine-2-:[1',2'dipalmitoyl -sni-glycero-3-(hydroxy-phosphoryl-oxyl)] etylamide) induce in liver macrophages a synthesis and release of TNF-alpha, nitric oxide and prostanoids. Both agents induce an expression of mRNA's encoding TNF-alpha, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase (COX)-2, and of corresponding proteins. LPS and MTP-PE induce a rapid activation of the extracellular regulated kinase (ERK) isoenzymes-1 and -2. Inhibition of map kinase isoenzymes leads to a decreased release of TNF-alpha, nitric oxide and prostaglandin (PG) E2 after both agents. The transcription factors NF-kappaB and AP-1 are strongly activated by LPS within 30 minutes. MTP-PE induces a weak activation of both transcription factors only after 5 hours. Inhibition of NF-kappaB inhibits the LPS- but not the MTP-PE-induced release of TNF-alpha, nitric oxide and PGE2. PGE2 release after LPS is higher than after MTP-PE. Exogenously added PGE2 inhibits the activation of map kinase and TNF-alpha release by LPS, but not by MTP-PE. Release of nitric oxide after LPS and MTP-PE is enhanced after prior addition of PGE2. PGD2 is without any effect. MTP-PE, but not LPS, induces a cytotoxicity of Kupffer cells against P815 tumor target cells. The MTP-PE-induced cytotoxicity is reduced by TNF-alpha neutralizing antibodies, indicating the involvement of TNF-alpha. Thus our results suggest that the different potencies of LPS and MTP-PE as immunomodulators probably result from different actions on Kupffer cells, resulting in differences in the amounts and kinetics of released TNF-alpha and PGE2, and that PGE2 plays an important regulatory role in the action of LPS, but not in the actions of MTP-PE.  (+info)

The synthetic immunomodulator murabutide controls human immunodeficiency virus type 1 replication at multiple levels in macrophages and dendritic cells. (7/426)

Macrophages and dendritic cells are known to play an important role in the establishment and persistence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. Besides antiretroviral therapy, several immune-based interventions are being evaluated with the aim of achieving better control of virus replication in reservoir cells. Murabutide is a safe synthetic immunomodulator presenting a capacity to enhance nonspecific resistance against viral infections and to target cells of the reticuloendothelial system. In this study, we have examined the ability of Murabutide to control HIV type 1 (HIV-1) replication in acutely infected monocyte-derived macrophages (MDMs) and dendritic cells (MDDCs). Highly significant suppression of viral replication was consistently observed in Murabutide-treated cultures of both cell types. Murabutide did not affect virus entry, reverse transcriptase activity, or early proviral DNA formation in the cytoplasm of infected cells. However, treated MDMs and MDDCs showed a dramatic reduction in nuclear viral two-long terminal repeat circular form and viral mRNA transcripts. This HIV-1-suppressive activity was not mediated by inhibiting cellular DNA synthesis or by activating p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase. Furthermore, Murabutide-stimulated cells expressed reduced CD4 and CCR5 receptors and secreted high levels of beta-chemokines, although neutralization of the released chemokines did not alter the HIV-1-suppressive activity of Murabutide. These results provide evidence that a clinically acceptable immunomodulator can activate multiple effector pathways in macrophages and in dendritic cells, rendering them nonpermissive for HIV-1 replication.  (+info)

Induction of necrosis factor-alpha and interleukin-6 in mice in vivo and in murine peritoneal macrophages and human whole blood cells in vitro by Micrococcus luteus teichuronic acids. (8/426)

Earlier studies showed that Micrococcus luteus cells and cell walls induced anaphylactoid reactions leading to death, in some instances within 1 h, in C3H/HeN mice primed with muramyl dipeptide (MDP). They also induced serum cytokines in the surviving mice. The present study investigated the structural components responsible for these activities. Teichuronic acids, a component of M. luteus cell walls, induced tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in MDP-primed C3H/HeN mice. Peptidoglycans had little effect on the cytokine-inducing activities. Reducing teichuronic acids, i.e., teichuronic acids whose carboxyl groups had been reduced, lost their cytokine-inducing activities. Neither peptidoglycans nor teichuronic acids induced anaphylactoid reactions in the MDP-primed mice. Purified teichuronic acids also induced TNF-alpha and IL-6 production in C3H/HeN murine peritoneal macrophages and human whole-blood cells in the culture, but reduced teichuronic acids did not. The purified teichuronic acids induced no TNF-alpha and only low levels of IL-6 in MDP-primed C3H/HeJ mice, and neither cytokine in peritoneal macrophage cultures from C3H/HeJ mice with a single point of mutation in Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) gene. These findings suggest that induction of cytokines by teichuronic acids is mainly TLR4-dependent.  (+info)

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