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Circulation Research. 2000;86:1237-1244

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(Circulation Research. 2000;86:1237.)
© 2000 American Heart Association, Inc.


Cellular Biology

Postanoxic T Lymphocyte–Endothelial Cell Interactions Induce Tumor Necrosis Factor-{alpha} Production and Neutrophil Adhesion

Role of Very Late Antigen-4/Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1

Satoshi Kokura, Robert E. Wolf, Toshikazu Yoshikawa, D. Neil Granger, Tak Yee Aw

From the Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology (S.K., D.N.G., T.Y.A.) and Center of Excellence in Arthritis and Rheumatism (R.E.W.), Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, Shreveport, La, and First Department of Internal Medicine (T.Y.), Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan.

Correspondence to Tak Yee Aw, PhD, Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, LSU Health Sciences Center, 1501 Kings Highway, Shreveport, LA 71130-3932. E-mail taw{at}lsumc.edu


*    Abstract
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*Abstract
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Abstract—The objective of this study was to define the influence of postanoxic T-lymphocyte–endothelial cell interactions on anoxia-reoxygenation (A/R)–induced neutrophil–endothelial cell adhesion and cell adhesion molecule (CAM) expression on human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). HUVEC monolayers were exposed to 60 minutes of anoxia, followed by 24 hours of reoxygenation, wherein freshly isolated human T lymphocytes were added at 6 hours during reoxygenation. After an additional 18 hours of incubation (ie, total of 24 hours of reoxygenation), the T-cell/endothelial cell (TC/EC) coculture media were collected and added to naive HUVEC monolayers incubated with neutrophils. Although the A/R-conditioned media per se had no effect on neutrophil adhesion, the media from TC/EC cocultures significantly increased the adhesion response. This enhanced adhesive interaction was associated with significant increases in tumor necrosis factor-{alpha} (TNF-{alpha}) and interleukin-8 (IL-8) levels in the TC/EC coculture media and was accompanied by a pronounced increase in endothelial E-selectin expression. Treatment of the TC/EC coculture media with anti–TNF-{alpha} or anti-IL-8 antibodies reduced the media-induced neutrophil adhesion response. The enhanced neutrophil adhesion and the elevated medium levels of TNF-{alpha}, but not IL-8, were markedly reduced by inserts that prevented direct TC/EC contact and by monoclonal antibodies directed against vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) or very late antigen-4 (VLA-4). Collectively, these findings show that VLA-4–/VCAM-1–mediated interactions between T lymphocytes and postanoxic endothelial cells stimulates TNF-{alpha} production, which in turn elicits endothelial cell adhesion molecule expression and a corresponding increase in neutrophil adhesion.


Key Words: anoxia/reoxygenation • E-selectin • neutrophil–endothelial cell adhesion • T lymphocytes • tumor necrosis-{alpha}


*    Introduction
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up arrowAbstract
*Introduction
down arrowMaterials and Methods
down arrowResults
down arrowDiscussion
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It is well appreciated that the inflammatory response elicited by anoxia-reoxygenation (A/R) is associated with enhanced neutrophil adhesion to endothelial cells. We and others have used a simple in vitro model wherein endothelial cell monolayers are exposed to A/R to mimic the microvascular dysfunction that is elicited by ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) in vivo. Most analyses of leukocyte recruitment in postischemic tissues have focused on neutrophils, which appear to be the ultimate circulating cell that mediates I/R-induced microvascular dysfunction.1 2 However, there is growing evidence that T lymphocytes also contribute to the pathogenesis of I/R injury.3 4 5 Zwacka et al6 have demonstrated a role for CD4+ T cells in mediating the neutrophil infiltration associated with hepatic I/R in vivo. To promote neutrophil adhesion to endothelial cells, T lymphocytes may rely on different mechanisms, some of which are dependent on soluble factors derived from endothelial cells, and others of which require direct contact of T lymphocytes to endothelial cells. We recently demonstrated that T lymphocytes are rapidly activated by H2O2 produced by postanoxic endothelial cells.7 The activated T cells release tumor necrosis factor-{alpha} (TNF-{alpha}), which in turn increases expression of endothelial E-selectin that mediates neutrophil–endothelial cell adhesion.7 In other studies, direct contact between stimulated T lymphocytes and endothelial cells has been shown to induce expression of cell adhesion molecules (CAMs) and cytokines,8 9 but the mechanisms underlying the induction of these inflammatory molecules have not been defined.

Very late antigen-4 (VLA-4), a major adhesion receptor expressed by T lymphocytes, mediates T-cell adhesion in the microvasculature via an interaction with vascular CAM-1 (VCAM-1) on activated endothelial cells.10 11 12 13 14 Damle and Aruffo15 have demonstrated that VCAM-1 sustains the activation of T lymphocytes by mediating the binding to antigen-responsive VLA-4+ T lymphocytes. Direct evidence implicating VLA-4/VCAM-1 interactions in T-lymphocyte activation is provided by studies demonstrating that binding of T lymphocytes to VCAM-1 on endothelial cells induces a 72-kDa gelatinase in T lymphocytes.16 We previously demonstrated that the adhesion of T lymphocytes to postanoxic endothelial cells is mediated by VLA-4/VCAM-1 and lymphocyte function–associated antigen-1 (LFA-1)/intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) interactions that are induced, at least partially, by interleukin-8 (IL-8).17 We also observed that the H2O2 generated by A/R-exposed human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) activates T lymphocytes to produce TNF-{alpha}.7 Because the A/R-induced enhancement of H2O2 only occurs within the initial few minutes after reoxygenation,18 19 the enhanced neutrophil adhesion observed at 4 hours after reoxygenation is not likely to be mediated by H2O2-stimulated T lymphocytes. However, VCAM-1 expression is elevated on postanoxic endothelial cells, with peak expression occurring between 6 and 10 hours after reoxygenation.17 Collectively, these findings raise the interesting possibility that at 4 hours after reoxygenation, VLA-4/VCAM-1 interactions induce T-lymphocyte activation, which increases expression of endothelial CAMs. Recent studies suggest that ligation of the VLA-4 integrin on freshly isolated human T lymphocytes with VCAM-1, when coimmobilized with anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody (mAb), increased the induction of transcription factors and cytokines that are related to TNF-{alpha} stimulation.20 These findings led us to hypothesize that A/R-exposed HUVECs exhibit VLA-4–/VCAM-1–mediated T cell–endothelial cell adhesive interactions that stimulate TNF-{alpha} production by T cells, which causes a further enhancement of endothelial CAM expression.

The objectives of this study were to (1) determine whether T lymphocytes influence the intensity of neutrophil–endothelial cell adhesion and endothelial CAM expression induced by exposing HUVEC monolayers to A/R, (2) determine whether the postanoxic T lymphocyte–endothelial cell interactions promote release of TNF-{alpha} from T cells and enhance A/R-induced neutrophil–endothelial cell adhesion, and (3) define the mechanisms that underlie the enhanced TNF-{alpha} release from T cells that are cocultured with postanoxic endothelial cells.


*    Materials and Methods
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up arrowIntroduction
*Materials and Methods
down arrowResults
down arrowDiscussion
down arrowReferences
 
The Materials and Methods section in its entirety is available online at http://www.circresaha.org.


*    Results
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up arrowAbstract
up arrowIntroduction
up arrowMaterials and Methods
*Results
down arrowDiscussion
down arrowReferences
 
Media from normoxia- and A/R-conditioned HUVECs and from normoxia- and A/R-conditioned HUVECs cocultured with freshly isolated peripheral T lymphocytes were collected after 24 hours of reoxygenation. Figure 1ADown illustrates the neutrophil adhesion (at 4 hours) to naive monolayers that were incubated with each medium. Without T cells, 24-hour A/R-conditioned medium did not enhance neutrophil adhesion, as compared with normoxia-conditioned medium. Moreover, medium conditioned by T cells alone (without endothelial cells) did not affect neutrophil adhesion to HUVECs exposed to normoxia or A/R (data not shown). In contrast, medium from the coculture of T cells with A/R-exposed HUVECs (TC/EC), but not with normoxia-exposed HUVECs, caused a significant increase in neutrophil adhesion. Because we have previously demonstrated an involvement of IL-8 in leukocyte-endothelial cell adhesion after A/R17 and a role for T cell–derived TNF-{alpha} in neutrophil–endothelial cell interaction in a coculture system of T lymphocytes with A/R-exposed HUVECs,7 TNF-{alpha} and IL-8 levels were quantified in the media of A/R-conditioned HUVECs incubated with or without T lymphocytes. The results (Figure 1BDown) show that TNF-{alpha} concentrations in A/R-conditioned media were unchanged from normoxia-conditioned media but were significantly elevated in TC/EC coculture media. IL-8 levels in A/R-conditioned media were 5-fold higher than control and were further increased (20-fold) when cocultured with T lymphocytes (Figure 1CDown). To define the potential contributions of soluble TNF-{alpha} and IL-8 (derived from TC/EC coculture) to neutrophil–endothelial cell adhesion, naive HUVEC monolayers were incubated in the coculture medium in the presence of mAbs directed against TNF-{alpha} or IL-8. Figure 2Down demonstrates that anti–TNF-{alpha} completely blocked the ability of the TC/EC medium to induce neutrophil adhesion to naive HUVECs, whereas a partial attenuation of this response was obtained with anti–IL-8. A/R-conditioned medium in the absence or presence of the respective mAbs but without T cells did not influence the adhesion response.



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Figure 1. Effect of TC/EC coculture on neutrophil adhesion response (A). HUVEC monolayers were exposed to 60-minute anoxia or normoxia, and T lymphocytes were added to normoxia- or A/R-exposed HUVEC monolayers at 6 hours of reoxygenation. After a further 18-hour coincubation, the coculture media were collected and added to naive HUVEC monolayers. Neutrophil adhesion was determined at 4 hours using 51Cr-labeled neutrophils. Values are mean±SE of 9 experiments performed in triplicate. *P<0.001 compared with normoxic control with or without T cells. B and C, Changes in TNF-{alpha} (B) and IL-8 (C) levels in incubation media of HUVECs exposed to A/R in the absence or presence of T lymphocytes. TC/EC coculture was performed as described above, and TNF-{alpha} or IL-8 was quantified in the coculture media. Values are mean±SE of 4 experiments performed in duplicate. B, *P<0.001 compared with normoxia (with or without T cells) and A/R. C, *P<0.01, **P<0.001 compared with normoxia (with or without T cells); #P<0.001 compared with A/R.



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Figure 2. Effect of mAb directed against TNF-{alpha} or IL-8 on neutrophil adhesion induced by TC/EC coculture. TC/EC coculture was performed as described in Figure 1Up. Coculture media were collected and incubated with naive HUVEC monolayers with or without anti–TNF-{alpha} or anti–IL-8. Neutrophil adhesion was performed at 4 hours. Dashed line represents baseline adhesion obtained with media from normoxic control. Values are mean±SE of 3 experiments performed in triplicate. *P<0.001 compared with A/R; #P<0.01, ##P<0.0001 compared with A/R+T cell.

Figure 3Down summarizes the effects of mAbs directed against different endothelial CAMs on neutrophil adhesion to HUVECs incubated with TC/EC coculture medium. The increase in neutrophil adhesion induced by coculture medium was significantly and dose-dependently reduced by anti–E-selectin–specific antibody, implicating a role for E-selectin in the adhesion response. Anti–ICAM-1 at 20 µg/mL tended to attenuate the adhesion response, whereas anti–P-selectin had no effect at any concentration. To further define the endothelial CAMs that were responsible for the enhanced adhesion response, we quantified the surface expression of these glycoproteins. The results are summarized in the TableDown. Medium from A/R-exposed HUVECs with or without T cells did not affect endothelial P-selectin expression. Expression of E-selectin in endothelial cells incubated with 24-hour medium from A/R-exposed HUVECs was not significantly different from control; however, expression was elevated 12-fold when cells were incubated with 24-hour TC/EC coculture medium. Unlike E- and P-selectin, surface expression of ICAM-1 was high in control HUVECs and in cells incubated with the medium from A/R-exposed HUVECs. Endothelial ICAM-1 expression was increased significantly, albeit to a small extent, in the presence of TC/EC coculture medium. Notably, although both E-selectin and ICAM-1 were significantly increased by TC/EC coculture medium, the magnitude of E-selectin upregulation (12-fold) was substantially greater than for ICAM-1 (1.3-fold). These results, together with the blocking effect of anti–E-selectin (see Figure 3Down), suggest that an increase in endothelial E-selectin expression accounts for the increased neutrophil–endothelial cell adhesion induced by TC/EC coculture medium. Our finding also implicates TNF-{alpha} or IL-8 as a candidate molecule that mediates this increased E-selectin expression.



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Figure 3. Effect of mAb directed against P-selectin, E-selectin, and ICAM-1 on neutrophil adhesion induced by TC/EC coculture. TC/EC coculture and neutrophil adhesion were performed as described in Figure 1Up. mAbs directed against each endothelial CAM were added to monolayers 15 minutes before the adhesion assay. Values are mean±SE of 3 experiments performed in triplicate. *P<0.001 compared with normoxia; #P<0.001 compared with A/R+T cell.


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Table 1. Endothelial Cell Surface Expression of P-Selectin, E-Selectin, and ICAM-1 in the Presence of Media Obtained From Normoxia- or A/R-Exposed HUVECs or From the Coculture of T Cells With Normoxia or A/R-Exposed HUVECs

To determine whether E-selectin expression is mediated by TNF-{alpha} and/or IL-8 derived from TC/EC coculture, we quantified surface expression of E-selectin on HUVECs incubated with the coculture medium in the presence of anti–TNF-{alpha} or anti–IL-8. The results (Figure 4ADown) show that the increased E-selectin expression caused by coculture medium was significantly attenuated by the mAb directed against TNF-{alpha}, but not IL-8. Incubations with the respective mAbs per se without T lymphocytes had no effect on E-selectin expression. We also directly tested the effect of TNF-{alpha} and IL-8 on E-selectin expression using similar concentrations of the cytokines that were found in the 24-hour TC/EC coculture medium. Figure 4BDown shows that TNF-{alpha} dose-dependently increased E-selectin expression. Notably, 5 pg/mL TNF-{alpha} induced endothelial E-selectin expression to the same degree as that induced by the coculture medium (see TableUp), supporting our contention that soluble TNF-{alpha} in the TC/EC coculture medium promoted the observed neutrophil–endothelial cell interaction. IL-8 alone (20–320 ng/mL) did not induce E-selectin expression (data not shown), nor did IL-8 (20 ng/mL) enhance TNF-{alpha}–induced E-selectin expression (Figure 4BDown), consistent with a lack of participation of this chemokine in T cell–mediated endothelial E-selectin expression.



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Figure 4. A, Effect of anti–TNF-{alpha} and anti–IL-8 mAbs on endothelial E-selectin expression induced by TC/EC coculture. TC/EC coculture was performed as described in Figure 1Up. Coculture media were collected and added to naive HUVEC monolayers with or without anti–TNF-{alpha} or anti–IL-8 mAbs. E-selectin expression was determined after 4 hours. Values are mean±SE of 6 experiments performed in triplicate. *P<0.0001 compared with normoxia; #P<0.001 compared with A/R+T cell. B, E-selectin expression on HUVECs stimulated with TNF-{alpha} without or with IL-8. HUVEC monolayers were incubated with TNF-{alpha} (5, 12.5, and 25 pg/mL) without or with IL-8 (20 ng/mL) for 4 hours, and E-selectin expression was performed thereafter. Values are mean±SE of 6 experiments performed in triplicate. *P<0.0001 compared with control.

To determine whether the neutrophil–endothelial cell adhesion induced by 24-hour TC/EC coculture was dependent on direct contact between T cells and endothelial cells, T lymphocytes were separated from HUVEC monolayers grown in 24-well plates by 0.4 µm Millipore filters in culture inserts. The results (Figure 5ADown) show that medium obtained from coincubation of T lymphocytes and HUVECs in separate chambers did not elicit a neutrophil adhesion response. Furthermore, coculture medium–induced E-selectin expression was also absent when T cells and endothelial cells were separated in different chambers (Figure 5BDown). These data demonstrate that direct contact between T lymphocytes and HUVECs is essential for the neutrophil–endothelial cell interaction induced by the coculture medium. In our present study, T lymphocytes were added into A/R-exposed HUVECs at 6 hours after reoxygenation. We previously found that direct interaction of postanoxic endothelial cells with T lymphocytes at 6 hours after reoxygenation is mediated by VLA-4/VCAM-1 and LFA-1/ICAM-1 interactions.17 Therefore, we assessed the role of these interactions in the inflammatory responses induced by TC/EC coculture. The results (Figure 5ADown) show that coculture medium–induced adhesion response was inhibited by the mAbs directed against VCAM-1 and VLA-4, whereas neither anti–ICAM-1 nor anti–LFA-1 was effective, indicating that VLA-4/VCAM-1 interaction is necessary to elicit the coculture medium–mediated neutrophil adhesion response. Accordingly, E-selectin expression in A/R-exposed monolayers induced by TC/EC interaction was similarly blocked by anti–VCAM-1 and anti–VLA-4 (Figure 5BDown). The presence of the respective mAbs per se without T cells were without effect on E-selectin expression (Figure 5BDown). Figure 6Down illustrates the results of TNF-{alpha} and IL-8 production in the coculture medium in the presence of mAbs directed against the VCAM-1/VLA-4 or ICAM-1/LFA-1 receptor-ligand pair. The results show that TNF-{alpha} levels in the coculture media were significantly attenuated in the presence of anti–VCAM-1 or anti–VLA-4, but not anti–ICAM-1 or anti–LFA-1 (Figure 6ADown). Furthermore, TNF-{alpha} levels in media were not elevated when T cells were separated from endothelial cells in culture inserts. These results indicate that direct cell contact of T lymphocytes with HUVECs via VLA-4/VCAM-1 ligation is critical for TNF-{alpha} production induced by coculture of the 2 cell populations. None of the antibodies tested nor use of culture inserts influenced the elevation of IL-8 levels induced by 24-hour TC/EC coculture (Figure 6BDown), suggesting that IL-8 production is not dependent on direct TC/EC interaction in the coculture system. We further found that production of TNF-{alpha} and IL-8, expression of endothelial E-selectin, and neutrophil adhesion induced by coculture medium were all unaffected by pretreatment with catalase (data not shown), suggesting that H2O2 was not the mediator of this 24-hour T lymphocyte–endothelial cell response. To validate that anti–VCAM-1 or anti–VLA-4 per se did not affect the adhesion response mediated by TNF-{alpha} subsequent to TC/EC interaction, TNF-{alpha}–induced neutrophil adhesion was examined directly in the absence or presence of anti–VCAM-1 or anti–VLA-4. The results (Figure 7Down) show that the neutrophil adhesion response elicited by TNF-{alpha} at low (such as that measured after TC/EC coincubation, 10 pg/mL) or high concentrations (10 ng/mL) was unaffected by addition of anti–VCAM-1 or anti–VLA-4, thus negating a direct effect of the mAbs on the adhesion response.



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Figure 5. Dependence of neutrophil adhesion and E-selectin expression on cell-to-cell contact between T lymphocytes and A/R-exposed HUVECs via VCAM-1/VLA-4 interactions. T lymphocytes were cocultured for 18 hours in contact with A/R-exposed HUVEC monolayers with or without mAbs directed against VCAM-1, ICAM-1, VLA-4, or LFA-1 or were separated from the HUVEC monolayers by 0.4 µm Millipore filters. A, Neutrophil adhesion. Values are mean±SE of 8 experiments performed in triplicate. *P<0.01, **P<0.0001 compared with A/R; #P<0.01, ##P<0.0001 compared with A/R+T cells. B, E-selectin expression. Values are mean±SE of 5 experiments performed in triplicate. *P<0.0001 compared with A/R; #P<0.0001 compared with A/R+T cells.



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Figure 6. Effect of mAbs directed against VCAM-1, ICAM-1, VLA-4, and LFA-1 on TNF-{alpha} and IL-8 production induced by TC/EC coculture. TC/EC coculture was performed as described in Figure 1Up. The mAbs directed against VCAM-1 or ICAM-1 were added to monolayers 30 minutes before addition of T cells. T lymphocytes were pretreated with anti–VLA-4 or anti–LFA-1 for 45 minutes on ice before addition to endothelial cells. In some experiments, T lymphocytes were separated from A/R-exposed HUVEC monolayers by 0.4 µm Millipore filters. A, TNF-{alpha} levels. Values are mean±SE of 4 experiments performed in duplicate. *P<0.0001 compared with normoxia; #P<0.0001 compared with A/R+T cell. B, IL-8 levels. Values are mean±SE of 4 experiments performed in duplicate. *P<0.0001 compared with normoxia.



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Figure 7. Effect of mAbs directed against VCAM-1 and VLA-4 on TNF-{alpha}–induced neutrophil adhesion. HUVEC monolayers were treated with TNF-{alpha} (10 pg/mL or 10 ng/mL) with or without anti–VCAM-1 or anti–VLA-4. T lymphocytes were pretreated with anti–VLA-4 for 45 minutes on ice before addition to endothelial cells. Values are mean±SE for 4 experiments performed in triplicate. *P<0.01, **P<0.001 compared with control.


*    Discussion
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up arrowAbstract
up arrowIntroduction
up arrowMaterials and Methods
up arrowResults
*Discussion
down arrowReferences
 
The current study provides evidence that VLA-4–/VCAM-1–mediated adhesive interactions (at 6 hours) between T lymphocytes and A/R-exposed endothelial cells promote the adhesion of neutrophils to these postanoxic endothelial cells. Moreover, direct contact of T cells with endothelial cells is a prerequisite for TNF-{alpha} production that leads to upregulation of endothelial E-selectin expression and enhancement of neutrophil–endothelial cell adhesion. Several lines of evidence support these conclusions, as follows: (1) TC/EC coculture enhanced TNF-{alpha} production and promoted neutrophil adhesion; (2) increased neutrophil adhesivity induced by TC/EC coculture medium was due to TNF-{alpha}–mediated expression of endothelial E-selectin; (3) TNF-{alpha} release, E-selectin expression, and neutrophil adhesion normally elicited by TC/EC coculture media were abrogated by preventing direct contact of T lymphocytes with HUVECs; and (4) immunoneutralization of VLA-4, or its endothelial ligand VCAM-1, prevented the TC/EC medium-induced inflammatory responses.

Although the role of T lymphocytes as cellular mediators of neutrophil-dependent inflammatory responses is well appreciated, the mechanisms used by T cells to mediate these neutrophil adhesion responses remain poorly understood. We recently demonstrated that T lymphocytes are activated by H2O2 produced by postanoxic endothelial cells in the early phase of reoxygenation and that the activated T cells release TNF-{alpha}, which increases E-selectin expression and promotes neutrophil–endothelial cell adhesion.7 Because the A/R-induced enhancement of H2O2 occurs within the initial few minutes after reoxygenation, the enhanced neutrophil adhesion observed during the late phase (24 hours) of reoxygenation (current study) is not likely to be mediated by H2O2-stimulated T lymphocytes. Indeed, we found that catalase was without effect on TNF-{alpha} and IL-8 release and on neutrophil adhesion when added to HUVEC monolayers immediately before addition of T cells. Our current results are consistent with a major role for T cell–derived TNF-{alpha} in mediating the TC/EC medium–induced neutrophil adhesivity to endothelial cells at 24 hours after reoxygenation. Moreover, the data show that the adhesive interactions between T lymphocytes and postanoxic endothelial cells is a prerequisite for the enhanced production of TNF-{alpha}.

We recently demonstrated that unstimulated T lymphocytes adhere to A/R-exposed HUVECs by VLA-4/VCAM-1 and LFA-1/ICAM-1 ligation.17 It is notable that, although both of these interactions participate in mediating TC/EC adhesion,17 only the VLA-4/VCAM-1 ligation appears to be a prerequisite for TNF-{alpha} production (current study). The reason for this interesting difference is unclear; one possibility may be that VCAM-1 occupancy is directly linked to a specific signaling pathway for TNF-{alpha} expression. The nature of such a pathway has yet to be identified. Regardless of mechanism, our finding is consistent with evidence in the literature that supports a direct association between TNF-{alpha} production and VCAM-1/VLA-4 interaction. For example, ligation of VLA-4 integrin has been shown to induce transcription factor activation that enhances cytokine production by T cells.15 16 22 In our study, mAbs directed against VLA-4 or VCAM-1 significantly attenuated the enhanced production of TNF-{alpha} and neutrophil adhesion elicited by TC/EC medium. This observation, coupled with reports in the literature,16 22 strongly suggests that VLA-4–mediated binding of T lymphocytes to VCAM-1 on A/R-exposed HUVEC surface induces a late phase (24 hours) of neutrophil adhesion that is dependent on TNF-{alpha}. This conclusion is supported by studies of Udagawa et al,20 who demonstrated that ligation of the VLA-4 integrin on freshly isolated human T lymphocytes with VCAM-1, when coimmobilized with anti-CD3 mAb, enhanced transcription factor induction and TNF-{alpha} production. Additional evidence comes from studies that show that integrins trigger a number of intracellular signaling events in T cells.23 24 25

Activation of naive T lymphocytes requires recognition of foreign antigens bound to a self–major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecule together with costimulatory signals by an antigen-presenting cell. However, Pober et al26 have reported that HUVEC monolayers do not express MHC molecules. This suggests that activation of unstimulated T cells after binding to A/R-exposed HUVECs may occur via an antigen-independent pathway. Alternatively, self-antigens may be modified by reactive oxygen species generated during A/R such that HUVEC monolayers appear foreign to T lymphocytes. These possibilities are supported by 2 previous studies; Bacon et al27 documented an antigen-independent activation mechanism for T lymphocytes, and Niemelä et al28 demonstrated protein modifications resulting from oxidation associated with inflammatory processes. Although our results implicate T lymphocytes as the major source of TNF-{alpha}, we cannot exclude the possible involvement of A/R-exposed HUVECs as a contributor to TNF-{alpha} release into the coculture media. Because ligation of VCAM-1 or ICAM-1 to their ligands has been shown to induce transcription of cytokines,29 30 adhesion molecules can function not only as adhesive substrates, but also as transducers of signals for enhanced cytokine production. Therefore, further studies are warranted to delineate the quantitative contribution of T lymphocytes and/or endothelial cells to the elevated TNF-{alpha} concentrations detected in the coculture media during T cell–endothelial cell adhesion.

An interesting and potentially important observation is the participation of IL-8 in the enhanced neutrophil–endothelial cell adhesion induced by TC/EC coculture medium. We previously found that A/R per se induces endothelial cell IL-8 production and that IL-8 derived from A/R-exposed HUVECs induces T cell adhesion to endothelial cells.17 Our current results show that 24 hours of TC/EC coculture increases IL-8 production, which promotes neutrophil adhesion to HUVECs. Interestingly, unlike TNF-{alpha}, IL-8 production is not dependent on direct cell-to-cell-contact between T lymphocytes and HUVECs. This finding, together with previous reports that IL-8 induces its own production in T lymphocytes,31 32 suggests that postanoxic HUVECs produce IL-8, which in turn upregulates IL-8 production by T lymphocytes. IL-8 has been shown to bind to the endothelial cell surface, where it can act as a chemoattractant and activator of neutrophils.33 34 It is also conceivable that IL-8 may promote neutrophil–endothelial cell adhesion by increasing the expression of endothelial CAMs. However, we found that IL-8 per se does not induce the expression of E-selectin, nor does it enhance E-selectin expression mediated by TNF-{alpha}. Taken together, these results suggest that the IL-8 derived from TC/EC coculture most likely plays a direct role in the activation of neutrophils.

In conclusion, the present study demonstrates that direct adhesive interactions between VLA-4 on T lymphocytes and VCAM-1 on A/R-exposed endothelial cells results in an exaggerated, late-phase neutrophil adhesion response that is mediated by TNF-{alpha}–stimulated E-selectin expression on endothelial cells. A role for T lymphocyte–derived IL-8 in the activation of neutrophils is also supported. These results may provide a molecular basis for understanding the modulatory influence of T lymphocytes in the late stages of ischemia/reperfusion–induced microvascular dysfunction.


*    Acknowledgments
 
This study was supported by NIH Grant P01-DK43785.

Received February 16, 2000; accepted April 28, 2000.


*    References
up arrowTop
up arrowAbstract
up arrowIntroduction
up arrowMaterials and Methods
up arrowResults
up arrowDiscussion
*References
 
1. Sisley AC, Desai T, Harig JM, Gewertz BL. Neutrophil depletion attenuates human intestinal reperfusion injury. J Surg Res. 1994;57:192–196.[Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]

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5. Sakr MF, Zetti GM, Hassanein TI, Farghali H, Nalesnik MA, Gavaler JS, Starzl TE, Van Thiel DH. FK506 ameliorates the hepatic injury associated with ischemia and reperfusion in rats. Hepatology. 1991;13:947–951.[Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]

6. Zwacka RM, Zhang Y, Schlossberg JH, Dudus L, Engelhardt JF. CD4+ T-lymphocytes mediate ischemia-reperfusion induced inflammatory responses in mouse liver. J Clin Invest. 1997;100:279–289.[Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]

7. Kokura S, Wolf RE, Yoshikawa T, Granger DN, Aw TY. T-lymphocyte-derived tumor necrosis factor exacerbates anoxia-reoxygenation induced neutrophil-endothelial cell adhesion. Circ Res. 2000;86:205–213.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

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