Micrococcus luteus teichuronic acids activate human and murine monocytic cells in a CD14- and toll-like receptor 4-dependent manner.
Teichuronic acid (TUA), a component of the cell walls of the gram-positive organism Micrococcus luteus (formerly Micrococcus lysodeikticus), induced inflammatory cytokines in C3H/HeN mice but not in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-resistant C3H/HeJ mice that have a defect in the Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) gene, both in vivo and in vitro, similarly to LPS (T. Monodane, Y. Kawabata, S. Yang, S. Hase, and H. Takada, J. Med. Microbiol. 50:4-12, 2001). In this study, we found that purified TUA (p-TUA) induced tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) in murine monocytic J774.1 cells but not in mutant LR-9 cells expressing membrane CD14 at a lower level than the parent J774.1 cells. The TNF-alpha-inducing activity of p-TUA in J774.1 cells was completely inhibited by anti-mouse CD14 monoclonal antibody (MAb). p-TUA also induced interleukin-8 (IL-8) in human monocytic THP-1 cells differentiated to macrophage-like cells expressing CD14. Anti-human CD14 MAb, anti-human TLR4 MAb, and synthetic lipid A precursor IV(A), an LPS antagonist, almost completely inhibited the IL-8-inducing ability of p-TUA, as well as LPS, in the differentiated THP-1 cells. Reduced p-TUA did not exhibit any activities in J774.1 or THP-1 cells. These findings strongly suggested that M. luteus TUA activates murine and human monocytic cells in a CD14- and TLR4-dependent manner, similar to LPS.
Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Tohoku University School of Dentistry, Aoba-ku, Sendai, 980-8575, Japan.
S
S
Yang
S
S
Sugawara
T
T
Monodane
M
M
Nishijima
Y
Y
Adachi
S
S
Akashi
K
K
Miyake
S
S
Hase
H
H
Takada
D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000276:immunology; D002460:Cell Line; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D006801:Humans; D016209:Interleukin-8 / Q000378:metabolism; D018950:Lipopolysaccharide Receptors / Q000502:physiology*; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000502:physiology*; D051379:Mice; D016982:Micrococcus luteus / Q000502:physiology*; D009000:Monocytes / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface / Q000502:physiology*; D051197:Toll-Like Receptor 4; D051193:Toll-Like Receptors; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000096:biosynthesis; D014574:Uronic Acids / Q000494:pharmacology*
D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D016209:Interleukin-8; D018950:Lipopolysaccharide Receptors; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface; C495345:TLR4 protein, human; D051197:Toll-Like Receptor 4; D051193:Toll-Like Receptors; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D014574:Uronic Acids; C010788:teichuronic acid