title: Enhancement of cytotoxicity of active macrophages by mycoplasma: role of mycoplasma-associated induction of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) in macrophages.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Kurume University, School of Medicine, Fukuoka.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Arai
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Furukawa
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Munakata
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kuwano
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Inoue
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Miyazaki
mesh_terms: 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
chemical_list: D000906:Antibodies; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha