Enhancement of cytotoxicity of active macrophages by mycoplasma: role of mycoplasma-associated induction of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) in macrophages.
Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha)-inducing activity of several mycoplasmas including Mycoplasma pneumoniae, a causative agent in human respiratory infectious diseases, was investigated. Purified peritoneal macrophages from BALB/c mice markedly enhanced their cytotoxic activity to Meth A cells, when cultured with either viable or non-viable mycoplasmas. The supernatants of the macrophage culture with mycoplasmas, M. pneumoniae and Acholeplasma laidlawii, showed the potent cytotoxic activity to TNF-alpha-sensitive L cells but not to TNF-alpha-insensitive L cells. Addition of anti-TNF-alpha antiserum inhibited completely the cytotoxic activity of these supernatants, indicating that a major part of the cytotoxic activity might be due to TNF-alpha. Various other mycoplasmas, either glucose- or arginine-utilizing species, as far as tested showed also the potent activity to produce TNF-alpha. These results strongly suggest the possibility that mycoplasmas possess the activity of TNF-alpha induction which might be responsible for a part of enhancement of cytotoxic activity of macrophages and resistance to infection with mycoplasmas in vivo.
Arai
S
S
Department of Microbiology, Kurume University, School of Medicine, Fukuoka.
Furukawa
M
M
Munakata
T
T
Kuwano
K
K
Inoue
H
H
Miyazaki
T
T
D000818:Animals; D000906:Antibodies / Q000276:immunology; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic; D004306:Dose-Response Relationship, Immunologic; D008262:Macrophage Activation; D008264:Macrophages / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D009174:Mycoplasma / Q000502:physiology*; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000276:immunology
D000906:Antibodies; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha