title: Neutrophils accelerate macrophage-mediated digestion of apoptotic cells in vivo as well as in vitro.
abstract: It is generally believed that the clearance of apoptotic cells does not lead to inflammation. In contrast, we previously found that injection of apoptotic cells into the peritoneal cavity induced the expression of an inflammatory chemokine, MIP-2, and infiltration of neutrophils, and that anti-MIP-2 Abs suppressed the infiltration significantly. Because our previous study showed that whole-body x-irradiation caused neutrophil infiltration into the thymus along with T cell apoptosis, we examined the role of neutrophils in apoptotic cell clearance. Neutrophil infiltration reached a peak 12 h after irradiation with 1 Gy of x-rays. Immunohistological analysis revealed that apoptotic cells disappeared dramatically from 10.5 to 12 h after x-irradiation. As neutrophils moved from an inner area of the cortex to the periphery, apoptotic cells disappeared concomitantly. Either anti-MIP-2 or anti-CXCR2 Abs suppressed neutrophil infiltration significantly, and the suppression of neutrophil infiltration by anti-MIP-2 Abs delayed the disappearance of apoptotic cells. Moreover, macrophage-mediated digestion of apoptotic thymocytes was accelerated in vitro on coculturing with neutrophils, even if neutrophils were separated from macrophages. These results suggest that neutrophils are recruited to the thymus mainly by MIP-2 after whole-body x-irradiation and that such neutrophils may not induce inflammation but rather accelerate complete digestion of apoptotic cells by macrophages.
authors.affiliation: Division of Molecular Medicine, Department of Biomolecular Science, Faculty of Science, Toho University, Funabashi, Japan.
authors.forename: Takuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Iyoda
authors.forename: Kisaburo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nagata
authors.forename: Makoto
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Akashi
authors.forename: Yoshiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000276:immunology*; D054426:Chemokine CXCL2; D018925:Chemokines / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology; D002634:Chemotaxis, Leukocyte / Q000276:immunology; D018920:Coculture Techniques; D008264:Macrophages / Q000276:immunology; D017737:Macrophages, Peritoneal / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D018375:Neutrophil Activation / Q000276:immunology; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000276:immunology* / Q000502:physiology; D010587:Phagocytosis / Q000276:immunology*; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000166:cytology; D014916:Whole-Body Irradiation
chemical_list: D054426:Chemokine CXCL2; D018925:Chemokines; C404915:Cxcl2 protein, mouse