Respiratory Burst In Human Neutrophils Research Articles

Effects of fluoride on the oxidative metabolism of human neutrophils

Although 20 m m fluoride stimulates neutrophils to produce superoxide anion, the kinetics of production are dissimilar to those observed with other stimuli. Further, fluoride was shown to inhibit oxidation of [1- 14C] glucose, and incubation of neutrophils with fluoride did not result in significant generation of chemiluminescence or iodination of cellular material, as did other soluble stimuli. These results indicate a discordance between the effect of fluoride on superoxide generation and other metabolic parameters associated with the respiratory burst. The data suggest that fluoride might not be a useful probe for investigating the molecular basis of the respiratory burst in human neutrophils.

The O2(-) -forming oxidase responsible for the respiratory burst in human neutrophils. Properties of the solubilized enzyme.

The O2(-) -forming oxidase responsible for the respiratory burst in human neutrophils. Properties of the solubilized enzyme.

Effects of Oxygen Tension and pH on the Respiratory Burst of Human Neutrophils

The respiratory burst of human neutrophils was measured under conditions of hypoxia and low pH. O2 -- production by neutrophils activated with opsonized zymosan fell slowly as the oxygen concentration declined to 1%, then dropped more sharply, reaching negligible levels at oxygen concentrations less than 0.25%. Production was half maximal at an oxygen concentration of 0.35% (equivalent to approximately 10-microM dissolved oxygen). O2- production by the cell-free O2- -forming system prepared from zymosan-activated neutrophils showed a similar dependence on oxygen concentration. A drop in pH caused decreases in both oxygen consumption and O2-- production by zymosan-treated neutrophils, values at PH 6.0 being 10%--20% of those observed at pH 7.5. Experiments with the cell-free O2-- -forming system suggested that this decline in respiratory burst activity at low pH was due to inefficient activation of the O2-- -forming enzyme under acidic conditions.

Effects of oxygen tension and pH on the respiratory burst of human neutrophils

The respiratory burst of human neutrophils was measured under conditions of hypoxia and low pH. O2 -- production by neutrophils activated with opsonized zymosan fell slowly as the oxygen concentration declined to 1%, then dropped more sharply, reaching negligible levels at oxygen concentrations less than 0.25%. Production was half maximal at an oxygen concentration of 0.35% (equivalent to approximately 10-microM dissolved oxygen). O2- production by the cell- free O2- -forming system prepared from zymosan-activated neutrophils showed a similar dependence on oxygen concentration. A drop in pH caused decreases in both oxygen consumption and O2-- production by zymosan-treated neutrophils, values at PH 6.0 being 10%--20% of those observed at pH 7.5. Experiments with the cell-free O2-- -forming system suggested that this decline in respiratory burst activity at low pH was due to inefficient activation of the O2-- -forming enzyme under acidic conditions.

Fluoride-mediated activation of the respiratory burst in human neutrophils. A reversible process.

Fluoride ion (F-) is an effective activator of the respiratory burst in neutrophils, as indicated by its ability to induce O2- production by these cells. Other halide ions did not activate the burst, Cl-, in particular appeared to antagonize the effect of F- on O2- production. F- stimulated O2- production showed a requirement for Ca++, but was independent of other exogenous cations. Neither phagocytosis nor degranulation were necessary for respiratory burst activation by F-. The effect of F- on the respiratory burst was reversible. Washing the cells after treatment with F-, while they were still producing large amounts of O2-, returned them to the resting state. They could then be stimulated again to produce O2- in amounts equivalent to those originally produced. Our experiments indicated that restimulation did not represent the activation of a population of cells that had not been activated during the initial exposure to F-, nor did it represent serial activation of different subpopulation of the O2- forming enzyme molecules present in a given cell. Rather, our data suggest that the entire population of O2- forming enzyme molecules was activated in a reversible fashion by F-.

Solubilization of the O2(-)-forming activity responsible for the respiratory burst in human neutrophils.

On exposure to suitable activating agents, neutrophils sharply alter their oxygen metabolism, showing large increases in oxygen uptake, O2 and H2O2 production, and glucose consumption via the hexose monophosphate shunt. These metabolic alterations, which together are designated the "respiratory burst," are due to the activation of a system which catalyzes the reaction: 2O2 + NADPH leads to 2O2(-) + NADP. This O2(-)-forming system is found in a particulate fraction isolated from neutrophils which had been activated with opsonized zymosan. When these particles were treated with detergent under suitable conditions, the O2(-)-forming activity was released in a form which passed through a membrane filter capable of retaining species of Mr greater than 3000,000. Soluble O2(-)-forming activity was obtained from normal activated neutrophils, but not from normal resting neutrophils or from activated neutrophils obtained from patients with chronic granulomatous disease, an inherited condition in which the respiratory burst is defective. O2(-)production by the soluble system required a reduced pyridine nucleotide as electron donor, and showed a quadratic dependence on the concentration of the solubilized preparation.

Termination of the Respiratory Burst in Human Neutrophils

Recent evidence has suggested that a particulate O(2) (-)-forming system is responsible for the respiratory burst in activated neutrophils. The respiratory burst is normally a transient event, lasting only 30-60 min. To investigate the mechanism by which the burst is terminated, we examined the O(2) (-)-forming activity of neutrophil particles as a function of time in the presence and absence of agents known to affect the function of intact cells. Measurements of the O(2) (-)-forming capacity of the particles against time of exposure of neutrophils to opsonized zymosan, a potent stimulating agent, revealed a rapid fall in activity when exposure was continued beyond 3 min. Exposure to zymosan under conditions in which the myeloperoxidase system was inactive (i.e., in the presence of myeloperoxidase inhibitors, or in the absence of oxygen) resulted in a substantial increase in the initial O(2) (-)-forming activity of particles from the zymosan-treated cells, but did not prevent the sharp fall in activity seen when zymosan exposure exceeded 10 min. The fall in activity was, however, prevented when activation took place in the presence of cytochalasin B (1.5 mug/ml), an agent thought to act largely by paralyzing the neutrophil through an interaction with its microfilament network.We conclude from these findings that the termination of the respiratory burst results at least in part from the inactivation of the particulate O(2) (-)-forming system. This inactivation involves at least two processes which probably act simultaneously. One is the destruction of the system through the action of myeloperoxidase. The other appears to require active cell motility and is independent of oxygen. The current view holds that the O(2) (-)-forming system of the neutrophil is located in the plasma membrane. It may be that the second process involves the internalization and degradation of this membrane-bound system.