title: Binding between azurocidin and calreticulin: its involvement in the activation of peripheral monocytes.
abstract: We found that azurocidin, a secretory protein in neutrophils, binds to calreticulin, a multifunctional chaperone of the endoplasmic reticulum. Azurocidin is known to induce cytokine production in monocytes, but the mechanism of monocyte activation by azurocidin remains unknown. On the other hand, an antibacterial peptide, KLKLLLLLKLK-NH(2) (L5), is known to bind to cell surface calreticulin of human neutrophils, resulting in their activation to produce O(2)(-). Therefore, we examined whether cell surface calreticulin is involved in the activation of human monocytes by azurocidin to produce IL-6. We found that carlreticulin is in fact located on the surface of monocytes and that the IL-6 production stimulated by an azurucidin is inhibited by anti-calreticulin antibody. Possibly, binding between cell surface calreticulin and azurocidin is prerequisite for the activation of monocytes by azurocidin to produce IL-6.
authors.affiliation: Natori Special Laboratory, The Institute of Physical and Chemical Research (RIKEN), 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako, Saitama 351-0198.
authors.forename: Yukiko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Okuyama
authors.forename: Jang-hyun
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.forename: Yuki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nakajima
authors.forename: Ko-ichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Homma
authors.forename: Kazuhisa
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sekimizu
authors.forename: Shunji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Natori
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000906:Antibodies / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification; D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides; D001798:Blood Proteins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D037282:Calreticulin / Q000378:metabolism*; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D006801:Humans; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000378:metabolism; D009000:Monocytes / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D010455:Peptides; D020298:U937 Cells
chemical_list: C062991:AZU1 protein, human; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents; D000906:Antibodies; D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides; D001798:Blood Proteins; D037282:Calreticulin; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D015850:Interleukin-6; D010455:Peptides