title: Chicken cystatin stimulates nitric oxide release from interferon-gamma-activated mouse peritoneal macrophages via cytokine synthesis.
abstract: Cystatins are natural tight-binding, reversible inhibitors of cysteine proteases. We have shown that cystatins also stimulate nitric oxide (NO) production by interferon-gamma-activated mouse peritoneal macrophages [Verdot, L., Lalmanach, G., Vercruysse, V., Hartman, S., Lucius, R., Hoebeke, J., Gauthier F. & Vray, B. (1996) J. Biol. Chem. 271, 28077-28081]. The present study was undertaken to further document this new function. Macrophages activated with interferon-gamma and then stimulated with interferon-gamma plus chicken cystatin generated increased amounts of NO in comparison with macrophages only activated with interferon-gamma. Interferon-gamma-activated macrophages must be incubated with chicken cystatin for at least 8 h to upregulate NO production. NO induction was due to increased inducible nitric oxide synthase protein synthesis. Macrophages incubated with chicken cystatin alone or with interferon-gamma plus chicken cystatin produced increased amounts of both tumor necrosis factor alpha and interleukin 10. The addition of recombinant murine tumor necrosis factor alpha alone or in combination with recombinant murine interleukin-10 mimicked the effect of chicken cystatin. The addition of neutralizing anti-(tumor necrosis factor alpha) antibodies reduced sharply NO production by chicken cystatin/interferon-gamma-activated mouse peritoneal macrophages. Taken together, these data suggest that chicken cystatin induces the synthesis of tumor necrosis factor alpha and interleukin 10. In turn, these two cytokines stimulate the production of NO by interferon-gamma-activated macrophages. The findings point to a new relationship between cystatins, cytokines, inflammation and the immune response.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire dImmunologie Expérimentale, Faculté de Médecine, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Verdot
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lalmanach
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Vercruysse
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hoebeke
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gauthier
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Vray
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002645:Chickens; D015891:Cystatins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D016207:Cytokines / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000494:pharmacology*; D016753:Interleukin-10 / Q000494:pharmacology; D007700:Kinetics; D008262:Macrophage Activation / Q000187:drug effects; D017737:Macrophages, Peritoneal / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D052247:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000096:biosynthesis
chemical_list: D015891:Cystatins; D016207:Cytokines; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D016753:Interleukin-10; D009569:Nitric Oxide; D007371:Interferon-gamma; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase; D052247:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II; C496317:Nos2 protein, mouse