Colony-stimulating Factor Activity Research Articles

Granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor antibody suppresses microglial activity: implications for anti-inflammatory effects in Alzheimer's disease and multiple sclerosis.

The objective of our study was to determine granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) activity in the brain following GM-CSF induction. We injected recombinant mouse GM-CSF into the brains of 8-month-old C57BL6 mice via intracerebroventricular injections and studied the activities of microglia, astrocytes, and neurons. We also sought to determine whether an anti-GM-CSF antibody could suppress endogenous microglial activity in the C57BL6 mice and could also suppress microglial activity induced by the recombinant mouse GM-CSF in another group of C57BL6 mice. Using quantitative real-time RT-PCR, we assessed microglial, astrocytic, and neuronal activity by measuring mRNA expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines, GFAP, and the neuronal marker NeuN in the cerebral cortex tissues from C57BL6 mice. We performed immunoblotting and immunohistochemistry of activated microglia in different regions of the brains from control (phosphate-buffered saline-injected C57BL6 mice) and experimental mice (recombinant GM-CSF-injected C57BL6 mice, GM-CSF antibody-injected C57BL6 mice, and recombinant mouse GM-CSF plus anti-GM-CSF antibody-injected C57BL6 mice). We found increased mRNA expression of CD40 (9.75-fold), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (2.1-fold), CD45 (1.73-fold), and CD11c (1.70-fold) in the cerebral cortex of C57BL6 mice that were induced with recombinant GM-CSF, compared with control mice. Further, the anti-GM-CSF antibody suppressed microglia in mice that were induced with recombinant GM-CSF. Our immunoblotting and immunohistochemistry findings of GM-CSF-associated cytokines in C57BL6 mice induced with recombinant GM-CSF, in C57BL6 mice injected with the anti-GM-CSF antibody, and in C57BL6 mice injected with recombinant mouse GM-CSF plus anti-GM-CSF antibody concurred with our real-time RT-PCR findings. These findings suggest that GM-CSF is critical for microglial activation and that anti-GM-CSF antibody suppresses microglial activity in the CNS. The findings from this study may have implications for anti-inflammatory effects of Alzheimer's disease and experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis mice (a multiple sclerosis mouse model).

Increased BACE1 activity in CSF of patients with an Alzheimer biomarker profile

Increased BACE1 activity in CSF of patients with an Alzheimer biomarker profile

Novel point mutations of the G‐CSF gene in a patient with neutropenia

Novel point mutations of the G‐CSF gene in a patient with neutropenia

末梢血腫瘍細胞の培養上清中にgranulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor活性を認めた好酸球増多を伴った成人T細胞白血病の1例

末梢血腫瘍細胞の培養上清中にgranulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor活性を認めた好酸球増多を伴った成人T細胞白血病の1例

Mobilization of Progenitor Cells into the Blood by Immobilized Granulocytic Colony-Stimulating Factor

The effects of granulocytic CSF immobilized on polyethylenoxide by nanotechnology on the bone marrow and circulating pools of mesenchymal and hemopoietic precursors were studied. Immobilized granulocytic CSF caused the release of progenitor cells of different classes into the blood. The effect of injected immobilized granulocytic CSF was superior to that of nonconjugated granulocytic CSF. Specific activity of oral immobilized granulocytic CSF after oral administration was demonstrated.

The use of antifibrinolytic drugs to prevent early recurrent aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage.

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the incidence of early recurrent haemorrhage and the survival rate in a series of 34 patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage treated with an antifibrinolytic drug (AMCA) for three weeks. The fibrinolytic activity in blood and CSF from these patients was determined before and at regular intervals during the treatment. The invariably high levels of fibrin degradation products in CSF noted before treatment showed that fibrinolysis was already increased, a finding also made in our previous investigations. Although the present clinical material was relatively small, the data obtained suggest that inhibition of fibrinolysis reduces the incidence of early recurrences during the preoperative period of patients eligible for surgical treatment and those conservatively treated. There were six recurrences in the series, but two of them occurred after the third week of treatment. In both cases the recurrence was ascribed to the fibrinolysis that had started again as soon as AMCA in the CSF was no longer demonstrable. In one patient the recurrence was not associated with increased FDP in CSF, and in the remaining three, the recurrence was presumably due to insufficient inhibition of local fibrinolysis in addition to hypertension. The fact that rebleeding occurred after the third week of treatment suggests the necessity of prolonging the prophylactic antifibrinolytic therapy to six weeks with gradual reduction of the dose of AMCA. During such reduction, however, it is imperative to examine the CSF repeatedly to check that complete inhibition of the local fibrinolysis is maintained. Such prophylactic treatment is useful in the management of cases in which operation must be postponed owing to the patient's poor general condition and in cases allocated to conservative treatment.

Granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor activity in cerebrospinal fluid.

The purpose of this study was to analyse the presence of the granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) in human cerebrospinal fluid (SF) of patients affected by multiple sclerosis (MS) in comparison with non-inflammatory neurological diseases. All SFs were collected from 59 patients for diagnostic purpose. The presence of GM-CSF was revealed by measuring its activity and by immunoassay. The data obtained were statistically evaluated. We found that GM-CSF is constitutively present in human SF; this presence was confirmed by its stimulating activity of colony-forming-unit granulocyte-macrophage (CFU-GM) production. No significant changes of the GM-CSF concentration in the SFs were observed among different neurological disorders (degenerative or vascular) and MS. Our data suggest that GM-CSF is a constitutive component of human SF, relatively uninfluenced by the different morbid conditions of the nervous system.

유전자 재조합 인간의 G-CSF의 생리활성과 EGFP-hG-CSF유전자가 도입된 체세포의 분리

유전자재조합 hG-CSF의 생리활성을 분석하기 위하여 편상의 암세포로부터 분리되어진 cDNA를 이용하여 hG-CSF 유전자를 분리하여 동물세포(CHO cell lines)를 이용하여 재조합 단백질을 생산하였다. 재조합 단백질의 체내 생리활성을 분석하기 위하여0일과 2일에 피하주사 후 5일에 혈액을 채취하여 백혈구 수를 분석하였다. 투여 전과 비교하여 5일째에 백혈구 수는 현저하게 증가하였다. 또한, pEGFP-mUII-hG-CSF벡터를 소 태아로부터 분리되어진 체세포에 형질전환을 시켜서, EGFP signal을 나타내는 세포를 confocal를 이용하여 분리하여 수립하였다. 따라서, 이러한 결과는 유전자재조합 hG-CSF는 체내에서 강력한 생리활성을 나타내며, 또한 당쇄가 첨가되어지고 이중으로 연결되어진 새로운 돌연변이체를 포함하여 고 활성 재조합체의 생산이 가능할 것으로 보이며, pEGFP-mUII-hG-CSF벡터는 복제 형질전환 가축 생산을 위하여 유용하게 사용되어질 것으로 사료된다. To investigate the biological activity of recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (rec-hG-CSF) in mammalian cells, hG-CSF gene was cloned using the eDNA extracted from the human squamous carcinoma cell lines and rec-hG-CSF was produced in CHO cell lines. To analyze the biological activity in vivo, the rec-hG-CSF protein was injected into mice subcutaneously on days 0 and 2. Blood was withdrawn for white blood cell (WBC) determination 5 days after the first injection. WBC values were found to have increased significantly. A pEGFP-mUII-hG-CSF vector was transfected into somatic cell lines isolated from bovine fetal cells. The colony expressing EGFP signals was observed with a confocal microscope. These data suggest that the rec-hG-CSF produced in this study has potent activity in vivo. Thus, the results of this biological activity show that rec-hG-CSF can be enhanced considerably by genetic engineering that affects potential activity, including mutations, which add the oligosaccharide chain and construct double-fusion proteins. A pEGFP-mUII-hG-CSF vector can be utilized for the production of cloned transgenic livestock.

Antifungal Activity of Posaconazole and Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor in the Treatment of Disseminated Zygomycosis in a Neutropenic Murine Model

Antifungal Activity of Posaconazole and Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor in the Treatment of Disseminated Zygomycosis in a Neutropenic Murine Model

Properties of Hodgkin cell lines. Possible significance for pathophysiology and clinical medicine

In the last three years, five permanently in-vitro growing cell cultures with malignant properties were established from tumour material of patients with histologically confirmed Hodgkin's disease. Four cell lines have been maintained in culture. L 428 had identical characteristics in every respect with Hodgkin and Sternberg-Reed cells, tested in-vivo on biopsy tissue. The other lines--L 538, L 540 and L 591 - had certain characteristics of Hodgkin and Sternberg-Reed cells with a number of markers, but were not fully congruent. All lines reacted with a heterologous antiserum against L 428, which selectively cross-reacted with Hodgkin and Sternberg-Reed cells in fresh biopsies. Two sublines, L 428 KS and L 428 KSA, were established from L 428 by modifying the culture medium. Tests on L 428 KS cells with conventional methods and with monoclonal antibodies demonstrated that this line carried antigens of myeloid cells; however, it could not be definitely placed into any haematopoetic line. Conditioned medium of L 428 and its sublines showed CSF activity (colony-stimulating factor) and suppression of cell-mediated cytolysis.

Interaction between Hck and HIV-1 Nef negatively regulates cell surface expression of M-CSF receptor

Nef is a multifunctional pathogenetic protein of HIV-1, the interaction of which with Hck, a Src tyrosine kinase highly expressed in macrophages, has been shown to be responsible for the development of AIDS. However, how the Nef-Hck interaction leads to the functional aberration of macrophages is poorly understood. We recently showed that Nef markedly inhibited the activity of macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF), a primary cytokine for macrophages. Here, we show that the inhibitory effect of Nef is due to the Hck-dependent down-regulation of the cell surface expression of M-CSF receptor Fms. In the presence of Hck, Nef induced the accumulation of an immature under-N-glycosylated Fms at the Golgi, thereby down-regulating Fms. The activation of Hck by the direct interaction with Nef was indispensable for the down-regulation. Unexpectedly, the accumulation of the active Hck at the Golgi where Nef prelocalized was likely to be another critical determinant of the function of Nef, because the expression of the constitutive-active forms of Hck alone did not fully down-regulate Fms. These results suggest that Nef perturbs the intracellular maturation and the trafficking of nascent Fms, through a unique mechanism that required both the activation of Hck and the aberrant spatial regulation of the active Hck.

Pharmacokinetics of oral doxycycline and concentrations in body fluids and bronchoalveolar cells of foals

The objective of this study was to determine the disposition of orally administered doxycycline in foals. Six healthy 4- to 8-week-old foals were used. Doxycycline was administered to each foal via the intragastric (IG) route at dosages of 10 and 20 mg/kg, in a cross-over design. After the first 10 mg/kg dose, five additional doses were administered at 12-h intervals. A microbiological assay was used to measure doxycycline activity in serum, urine, peritoneal fluid, synovial fluid, cerebrospinal (CSF), pulmonary epithelial lining fluid (PELF), and bronchoalveolar (BAL) cells. Following administration at 10 mg/kg, mean+/-SD time to peak serum doxycycline activity (tmax) was 3.0+/-1.2 h, maximum serum activity (Cmax) was 2.54+/-0.27 microg/mL, and terminal half-life (t1/2) was 8.5+/-2.8 h. Administration at a dose of 20 mg/kg resulted in a significantly longer tmax (5.5+/-1.8 h) as well as a tendency toward higher Cmax (2.89+/-0.33 microg/mL) and longer t1/2 (11.9+/-2.6 h). After multiple IG doses, doxycycline activity in CSF was significantly lower than concurrent serum activity, whereas peritoneal fluid, synovial fluid, and BAL cell doxycycline activity was similar to concurrent serum activity. Doxycycline activity in urine and PELF was significantly higher than that found at other sites. Oral administration at a dosage of 10 mg/kg every 12 h would maintain serum, PELF, and BAL cell activity above the minimum inhibitory concentrations of Rhodococcus equi, beta-hemolytic streptococci, and other susceptible bacterial pathogens for the entire dosing interval.

Activities of endogenous antioxidant enzymes in the cerebrospinal fluid and the hippocampus after transient forebrain ischemia in rat

The activity of SOD and CAT was measured in controls and 5 h after 5, 10 and 15 min of ischemia, as well as 1 or 2 days after 10 min of ischemia in the hippocampus and in the CSF. A significant increase in total SOD activity 5 h after ischemia was caused mainly by increased CuZn-SOD activity. The highest values were measured 5 h after 5 min ischemia (by 160%) and smallest if 15 min (by 40%) of ischemia was used. In comparison to the hippocampus, the activity of SOD in CSF increased equally after all intervals of ischemia. Activities of total SOD and CuZn-SOD after 10 min of ischemia in the hippocampus were significantly increased only after 5 and 24 h of reperfusion but in CSF they were increased after all examined intervals of reperfusion. The activity of CAT was significantly increased in the hippocampus after 5 (by 260%), 10 and 15 min (by 100%) of ischemia. CAT activity in CSF was increased equally after all intervals of ischemia (by 200%). Ischemic attack causes a rapid response in hippocampal tissue as well as in the CSF, represented by an increase in the activity of endogenous antioxidant enzymes SOD and CAT.

ACE activity in CSF of patients with mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer disease

There is increasing evidence of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) in the development of Alzheimer disease (AD).1-3 However, little is known about the ACE activity in the CNS in living patients with AD. We therefore measured ACE activity in CSF in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and mild to moderate AD and compared the values with those of age-matched healthy control subjects. We also examined whether treatment with a brain-penetrating ACE inhibitor3 can alter CSF ACE activity in patients with mild to moderate AD. We registered 90 patients (mean age 72.6 ± 1.8 [SE] years) who had undergone evaluations for memory disturbance at the Tohoku University Hospital Outpatient Clinic on Dementia in January 2003. Clinical assessments by geriatricians and neuropsychological examinations, including Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Wechsler Memory Scale–Revised, were performed for all subjects, as described previously.4 Our established criteria4 based on the current consensus5 were used for a diagnosis of progressive MCI and AD-converted MCI. In detail, 28 individuals fulfilled the criteria for a diagnosis of amnestic MCI5 at the time of the CSF examination. Fourteen of 28 patients (male/female ratio, 6:8) progressed over time. They lived independently during a 2-year follow-up and were considered as having progressive MCI.4 Six of 28 subjects (male/female ratio, 3:3) showed clinical progression that warranted a diagnosis of dementia and ultimately met the National Institute for Neurological and Communication Disorders and Stroke/Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders (NINCDS-ADRDA) diagnostic criteria for AD6 and were categorized as having AD-converted MCI.4 In the current study, we enrolled both patients with …

Differential CSF butyrylcholinesterase levels in Alzheimer's disease patients with the ApoE ε4 allele, in relation to cognitive function and cerebral glucose metabolism

Butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) is increased in the cerebral cortex of Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients, particularly those carrying epsilon4 allele of the apolipoprotein E gene (ApoE) and certain BuChE variants that predict increased AD risk and poor response to anticholinesterase therapy. We measured BuChE activity and protein level in CSF of eighty mild AD patients in relation to age, gender, ApoE epsilon4 genotype, cognition and cerebral glucose metabolism (CMRglc). BuChE activity was 23% higher in men than women (p<0.03) and 40-60% higher in ApoE epsilon4 negative patients than in those carrying one or two epsilon4 alleles (p<0.0004). CSF BuChE level correlated with cortical CMRglc. Patients with high to moderate CSF BuChE showed better cognitive function scores than others. We hypothesize that CSF BuChE varies inversely with BuChE in cortical amyloid plaques. Thus, low BuChE in a patient's CSF may predict extensive incorporation in neuritic plaques, increased neurotoxicity and greater central neurodegeneration.

Changes in the activity and protein levels of CSF acetylcholinesterases in relation to cognitive function of patients with mild Alzheimer’s disease following chronic donepezil treatment

To evaluate long-term changes in acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity in CSF and blood following donepezil treatment in relation to the concentration of donepezil and cognition in AD patients. CSF or blood (or both) samples of a total of 104 patients with mild AD were used [MMSE score 23 +/- 0.4; age 75 +/- 1 years (mean +/- SEM); n=53 for CSF and n=51 for plasma/red blood cell (RBC) samples]. The patients were treated with 5 or 10 mg/day donepezil and clinically followed for 2 years. The CSF and RBC AChE activities were measured by the Ellman's direct colorimetric assay. Protein levels of two variants of AChE ("read-through" AChE-R and synaptic AChE-S) were determined by an ELISA-like method. The plasma donepezil concentration was dose-dependent (between 30 and 60 ng/mL in the 5-mg and 10-mg group, respectively). The CSF donepezil concentration was 10 times lower than the plasma level and showed dose- and time-dependent kinetics. The RBC AChE inhibition was moderate (19-29%). CSF AChE-S inhibition was estimated to 30-40% in the 5-mg and 45-55% in the 10-mg group. Positive correlations were observed between the CSF AChE inhibition, an increased protein level of the AChE-R variant and MMSE examination. Patients with high AChE inhibition (>or=45%) showed a stabilized MMSE test result after up to two years, while a significant decline was observed in AD patients with lower AChE inhibition (<or=30%). An increase in the protein level of the AChE-R variant corresponded to a high AChE inhibition in CSF and favored less cognitive deterioration.

P4-344: Cholinesterase inhibitor treatment affects acetylcholinesterase activity in CSF

P4-344: Cholinesterase inhibitor treatment affects acetylcholinesterase activity in CSF

Heparin-binding Sites in Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-stimulating Factor: LOCALIZATION AND REGULATION BY HISTIDINE IONIZATION

The biological activity of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) is modulated by the sulfated glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) heparan sulfate and heparin. However, the molecular mechanisms involved in such interactions are still not completely understood. We have proposed previously that helix C, one of the four alpha-helices of human GM-CSF (hGM-CSF), contains a GAG-binding site in which positively charged residues are spatially positioned for interaction with the sulfate moieties of the GAGs (Wettreich, A., Sebollela, A., Carvalho, M. A., Azevedo, S. P., Borojevic, R., Ferreira, S. T., and Coelho-Sampaio, T. (1999) J. Biol. Chem. 274, 31468-31475). Protonation of two histidine residues (His83 and His87) in helix C of hGM-CSF appears to act as a pH-dependent molecular switch to control the interaction with GAGs. Based on these findings, we have now generated a triple mutant form of murine GM-CSF (mGM-CSF) in which three noncharged residues in helix C of the murine factor (Tyr83, Gln85, and Tyr87) were replaced by the corresponding basic residues present in hGM-CSF (His83, Lys85, and His87). Binding assays on heparin-Sepharose showed that, at acidic pH, the triple mutant mGM-CSF binds to immobilized heparin with significantly higher affinity than wild type (WT) mGM-CSF and that neither protein binds to the column at neutral pH. The fact that even WT mGM-CSF binds to heparin at acidic pH indicates the existence of a distinct, lower affinity heparin-binding site in the protein. Chemical modification of the single histidine residue (His15) located in helix A of WT mGM-CSF with diethyl pyrocarbonate totally abolished binding to immobilized heparin. Moreover, replacement of His15 for an alanine residue significantly reduced the affinity of mGM-CSF for heparin at pH 5.0 and completely blocked heparin binding to a synthetic peptide corresponding to helix A of GM-CSF. These results indicate a major role of histidine residues in the regulation of the binding of GM-CSF to GAGs, supporting the notion that an acidic microenvironment is required for GM-CSF-dependent regulation of target cells. In addition, our results provide insight into the molecular basis of the strict species specificity of the biological activity of GM-CSF.

CXCL11 is involved in leucocyte recruitment to the central nervous system in neuroborreliosis

We investigated the role of the CXCR3 chemokine CXCL11 (I-TAC) for leukocyte recruitment to the CSF in neuroborreliosis (NB). CXCL11 levels in the CSF of 17 patients with acute NB were elevated compared with 20 non-inflammatory controls (100.1 vs. 54.1 pg/ml, p = 0.002). Using a modified Boyden chamber chemotaxis-assay, the CSF of patients with acute NB was more chemotactic than the control CSF-samples (p = 0.001). A strong correlation (p < 0.001) between CXCL11 levels, chemotactic activity and CSF-white cell count was detected. Though the chemotactic activity of CSF from NB patients was only partially reduced by a human recombinant CXCL11 antibody, these findings suggest that, among other chemotactic factors, CXCL11 may play a role in the chemotaxis of mononuclear cells in NB.

In vivo immunomodulation by Mycoplasma fermentans membrane lipoprotein.

The immunomodulatory effects of Mycoplasma fermentans-derived membrane lipoprotein (LAMPf) in BALB/c mice were examined. When injected intraperitoneally into mice, LAMPf induced a transitory splenomegaly followed by a suppression of the spleen cell proliferation in response to concanavalin A, whereas responses to lipopolysaccharide and to LAMPf were unchanged. The intravenous injection of a large dose of LAMPf induced leukopenia and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) activity in serum. A synthetic analogue of its N-terminal lipopeptide with ability to activate macrophages (MALP-2) was also able to induce GM-CSF in serum. Interestingly, GM-CSF induction by a low dose of MALP-2 was not associated with significant leukopenia. These data revealed that the in vitro moduline properties of mycoplasmal lipoproteins and lipopeptides correlate with interesting in vivo immunomodulatory effects.