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Published online before print March 2, 2005
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Immunology Research Group, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada
1Correspondence: Immunology Research Group, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Calgary, 3330 Hospital Drive N.W., Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2N 4N1. E-mail: pkubes{at}ucalgary.ca
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ABSTRACT |
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 TOP ABSTRACT INTRODUCTIONMODELING TLR4-INDUCED...LEUKOCYTE RECRUITMENT IN...THE EFFECTS OF SYSTEMIC...REFERENCES |
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Key Words: sepsis • LPS
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INTRODUCTION |
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TOPABSTRACTINTRODUCTIONMODELING TLR4-INDUCED...LEUKOCYTE RECRUITMENT IN...THE EFFECTS OF SYSTEMIC...REFERENCES |
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MODELING TLR4-INDUCED INFLAMMATION WITH LIPOPOLYSACCHARIDE (LPS) |
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TOPABSTRACTINTRODUCTIONMODELING TLR4-INDUCED...LEUKOCYTE RECRUITMENT IN...THE EFFECTS OF SYSTEMIC...REFERENCES |
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For the above reasons, LPS administration alone is commonly used to model basic inflammatory mechanisms. Indeed, activation of TLR4 through administration of LPS to a particular tissue produces a typical localized inflammation within that tissue [10 , 11 ]. In contrast, systemic activation of TLR4 through intraperitoneal or intravenous (i.p. or i.v., respectively) administration of LPS produces a shock syndrome (endotoxic shock) [12 ] similar to that observed during systemic bacterial infection (septic shock) [1 , 2 ]. Indeed, endotoxin is often found in the blood of septic patients [13 , 14 ]. However, LPS administration, locally or systemically, should not be mistaken for sepsis or septic shock resulting from bacterial infection. Bacteria-induced shock involves the activation of multiple inflammatory pathways in addition to TLR4. In fact, use of whole bacteria makes it impossible to make conclusions about the role of TLR4 in vivo. Nevertheless, local and systemic LPS have been used to mimic aspects of sepsis, including activation of TLR4, increased leukocyte/endothelial interactions locally, and neutrophil trapping in lungs and liver when LPS is given systemically (see below). It is important to state that this review is primarily focused on the role TLR4 plays in vivo. Therefore, LPS is used as a selective activating agent of the TLR4 pathway.
Central to any inflammatory response is the recruitment of leukocytes from the circulation (see refs. [15
16
17
18
] for in-depth reviews of the mechanisms of leukocyte recruitment). This process is ultimately dependent on the activation of the endothelial cells, which line blood vessels, to express the adhesion molecules and other mediators required to facilitate interactions with blood-borne leukocytes. Circulating leukocytes can then tether to and roll along the vascular wall. Both of these events are predominantly mediated by selectins (P- and E-selectin in nonlymphoid tissues), although 
4-integrins may also mediate these interactions in some circumstances. If rolling leukocytes encounter appropriate stimulatory molecules—chemokines, for example—adhesion is rapidly induced through the activation of 4- or CD18-integrins. Once adherent, leukocytes can become motile and actively transmigrate across the endothelial monolayer and enter the tissue. Transmigration and the subsequent directional migration of cells to the site of infection occur in response to various chemotactic agents recognized by leukocytes [18
].
This well-organized cascade of events was worked out and described initially in isolated in vitro systems mimicking vasculature conditions [19 20 21 ]. Each step has been considered to be a prerequisite for the next—the implication being that interference with any one step should prevent a leukocyte from reaching its target. As we will outline here, subsequent investigations in vivo have challenged this somewhat over-simplified and linear view. It is ironic that the move to in vivo assays of leukocyte recruitment required a step back in time. In the mid-1800s, Cohnheim [22 ] made the original observations of trafficking leukocytes within blood vessels of a frog’s tongue that had been stretched out thinly to allow for transillumination of the tissue. In more recent times, we and others have adapted this same assay to observe leukocyte trafficking in other animal models, primarily mice. Like the frog tongue, thin tissues such as the cremaster muscle and mesentery were initially used in intravital microscopy. Early experiments largely verified the in vitro model of a linear, multi-step cascade dependent on selectins and integrins. It was not until techniques were developed permitting the visualization of thicker tissues that complexities of tissue-specific and stimulus-specific inflammatory mechanisms were revealed. Over the course of the last decade, our laboratory has applied these technologies to understand inflammatory mechanisms induced by local or systemic activation of TLR4.
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LEUKOCYTE RECRUITMENT IN RESPONSE TO TLR4 LOCALIZED ACTIVATION |
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TOPABSTRACTINTRODUCTIONMODELING TLR4-INDUCED...LEUKOCYTE RECRUITMENT IN...THE EFFECTS OF SYSTEMIC...REFERENCES |
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The rapid nature of the response to local stimulation of TLR4 suggested the involvement of P-selectin. In most tissues, P-selectin is constitutively synthesized by the endothelium and stored intracellularly in specialized Weibel-Palade bodies [16 ]. It can be mobilized to the cell surface within minutes in response to inflammatory stimuli such as histamine, oxidants, and LPS [16 ]. Indeed, administration of a P-selectin-blocking antibody completely prevented LPS-induced leukocyte-endothelial interactions for the first 90 min [23 ]. This is consistent with the linear, multi-step model of leukocyte recruitment described above; the blockade of upstream rolling prevented the recruitment of leukocytes to the inflamed tissue. However, after 90 min, a second wave of recruitment that could not be blocked by anti-P-selectin was initiated, suggesting the involvement of additional adhesion molecules [23 ]. Indeed, observations made 4 h following LPS administration in P-selectin-deficient mice revealed that numbers of adherent cells had been fully restored, despite the reduction in rolling compared with wild-type mice (our unpublished observations). In fact, adhesion was only prevented in mice deficient in both endothelial selectins (E-selectin and P-selectin) in which rolling was almost completely eliminated [25 ]. Although on the surface, these in vivo observations are largely consistent with the accepted model outlined above, they also reveal the first complexity from the simplified cascade. The relationship between the number of rolling cells and the number of adherent cells is not linear. Indeed, rolling must be blocked by at least 90% to have an impact on adhesion [25 , 26 ].
Similar to the sequential cascade of events mediating leukocyte-endothelial interactions described above, recent studies suggest that leukocyte transmigration and migration through the tissue during inflammation are also a multi-step processes. Once adherent, leukocytes can become motile and then follow chemotactic stimuli out of the vessel lumen into the tissue. Activation through TLR4 induces the local production of chemotactic agents, including chemokines and others (platelet-activating factor, leukotriene B4) by tissue cells and inflammatory cells within the tissue. The result is the accumulation of large numbers of inflammatory cells within a tissue following administration of LPS [11 , 23 ]. However, over the course of this process, migrating leukocytes are exposed to a series of different chemotactic agents generated from a number of sources. If bacteria were present in the inflamed tissue, chemotactic bacterial products [formyl-Met-Leu-Phe (fMLP), for example] or other agents such as C5a (generated through the classical or alternative pathways in response to bacterial recognition) would also be present in the tissue. In the face of numerous, often conflicting chemotactic gradients, the ultimate goal of an infiltrating leukocyte would be to target the infectious agent. To reach the final target, leukocytes must somehow differentiate these different agents and prioritize their movements accordingly. A hierarchy for chemotactic agents was described originally by Campbell et al. [27 ], who demonstrated that migration to a chemokine (interleukin-8) was inhibited by the bacterial product fMLP but that the reverse did not occur. Using an in vitro assay of neutrophil migration, we recently characterized this hierarchy further and showed that given a choice and irrespective of the concentration of either agent, migrating neutrophils will always move toward an agent generated at the source of the infection (for example, fMLP or C5a, termed an "end-target chemoattractant") in preference to other agents (for example, a chemokine or leukotriene, termed an "intermediary chemoattractant") [28 ]. This preference was explained by the intracellular signaling pathways responsible for migration to the different classes of chemotactic agent. Migration toward "intermediary" agents, such as chemokines or leukotrienes, was dependent on signaling through the phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase (PI-3K) pathway. In contrast, migration to end-target agents, such as fMLP or C5a, was dependent on signaling through the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway, which inhibited signaling through the PI-3K pathway, resulting in preferential migration of neutrophils toward the end-target chemotactic agent [28 ]. We hypothesize that this would allow migrating neutrophils to leave an area with a high concentration of intermediary chemoattractants (adjacent to the endothelium, for example) and follow a weaker gradient of end-target agents to the site of infection.
By combining these studies, a basic model of localized inflammation induced through TLR4 can be outlined (Fig. 1 ). Stimulation of TLR4 on endothelium induces rapid adhesion molecule expression. This results in increased leukocyte rolling and adhesion. In addition, other TLR4-expressing cells, such as tissue resident macrophages, are activated to produce additional inflammatory agents such as cytokines and chemokines, which also act on the endothelium and migrating cells. Leukocyte adhesion and initial transmigration are driven by intermediary chemotactic agents produced by the endothelium and tissue-resident cells. In a more complex system in which bacteria are also present in the tissue (gram-negative bacteria, for example), an infiltrating leukocyte would then preferentially migrate toward end-target chemotactic agents generated at the site of infection and ignore the intermediary agents. Through these highly organized processes, circulating leukocytes are able to find their way to a site of localized inflammation and ultimately, to the site of a localized infection so that the pathogen can be cleared effectively.
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THE EFFECTS OF SYSTEMIC TLR4 ACTIVATION ON LEUKOCYTE RECRUITMENT |
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TOPABSTRACTINTRODUCTIONMODELING TLR4-INDUCED...LEUKOCYTE RECRUITMENT IN...THE EFFECTS OF SYSTEMIC...REFERENCES |
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The liver vasculature has a very different architecture than that of peripheral tissues. Almost the entire tissue is devoted to a highly organized and densely packed sinusoidal system. These are small, capillary-like vessels, and leukocytes must traverse though these tributaries in single file. The sinusoids are fed by the portal vein and empty into collecting venules for return to the vena cava. Intravital microscopy was used to investigate the mechanisms of leukocyte accumulation in the liver following systemic activation of TLR4 via i.p. administration of LPS. Under baseline conditions, leukocytes moved smoothly through the sinusoidal network. Little leukocyte rolling was observed in the collecting venules. Reminiscent of the recruitment observed in the cremaster microvasculature following localized TLR4 activation, systemic activations of TLR4 resulted in significant adhesion in the collecting venules of the liver [25 ]. Indeed, as in the cremaster muscle, adhesion in the collecting venules was prevented in E/P-selectin, double-deficient mice. These findings are entirely consistent with the standard leukocyte recruitment cascade described above. However, in addition to the adhesion observed in the venules, a tremendous amount of leukocyte adhesion also occurred within the sinusoids [25 ]. Cells did not roll but immediately adhered. This adhesion was not prevented in selectin-deficient mice, and the deletion or blockade of any other standard adhesion molecule could not reduce the accumulation of leukocytes within the sinusoids (ref. [25 ] and our unpublished observations). This revealed a second complexity in leukocyte recruitment: The mechanisms and molecular requirements for recruitment can differ dramatically depending on the specific tissue and vascular architecture (reviewed in ref. [36 ]).
Similar to the liver, the lung is highly vascular and contains a dense capillary network surrounding the alveoli. Again, systemic activation of TLR4 results in tremendous trapping of leukocytes within lung capillaries [2 , 33 , 34 ]. Because of movement during respiration, it is difficult of perform intravital microscopy studies on the lung. Our preliminary studies of this tissue revealed that under baseline conditions, some leukocytes do adhere within the lung. However, in the inflamed lung, tremendous leukocyte accumulation can be observed within capillaries and venules (our unpublished observations; Fig. 2 ). Because of the technical difficulties associated with performing intravital microscopy of the lung, most in vivo studies of leukocyte recruitment to the tissue have relied on assays for the neutrophil-specific enzyme myeloperoxidase (MPO). In response to systemic LPS activation of TLR4, MPO levels within the lung increase two- to threefold [10 , 11 , 33 ]. As in the liver, this increase is completely independent of selectins or other standard adhesion molecules [33 , 37 , 38 ].
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We made use of TLR4-deficient mice to begin to explore the "trapping" phenomenon more closely. Our recent studies have challenged this widely held view. LPS-induced neutrophil trapping in the lung is completely dependent on TLR4 in that no increase in MPO is observed in TLR4-deficient mice [10 , 33 ]. We generated bone-marrow chimeric mice in which all circulating (and tissue resident) leukocytes were deficient in TLR4, and tissue cells such as the endothelium expressed TLR4 or the reverse, in which leukocytes were wild-type, and endothelium was TLR4-deficient [33 ]. If leukocyte trapping in the lung is the result of nonpliable, activated leukocytes in the circulation, one would expect that TLR4-expressing leukocytes would accumulate in the lung even in the absence of endothelial TLR4. In fact, we observed precisely the opposite; leukocyte trapping in the lungs was observed only if the endothelium expressed TLR4, even if leukocytes were TLR4-deficient [33 ]. This suggests an active, endothelium-driven mechanism of leukocyte trapping in the lung rather than a passive, physical trapping event. The process is clearly different from the mechanisms normally associated with leukocyte recruitment, as rolling does not occur nor are the standard adhesion molecules required. We are currently investigating these mechanisms and have recently identified a novel adhesion molecule, vascular adhesion protein-1 (VAP-1) [39 ], which mediates lymphocyte adhesion within liver sinusoids (Claudine S. Bonder, Mark G. Swain, Lori D. Zbytnuik, Sirpa Jalkaner, and Paul Kubes, submitted). The mechanism by which neutrophils are recruited into the sinusoids is not VAP-1-dependent and remains unknown. It has yet to be determined if the lung uses a similar VAP-1 mechanism.
Systemic TLR4 activation with LPS also has profound consequences to the recruitment of leukocytes to peripheral tissues. In contrast to the lung and liver, almost no leukocyte recruitment occurs in other tissues following systemic application of LPS. For example, i.p. administration of LPS rapidly results in its dissemination throughout the body via the circulation. When we assessed neutrophil accumulation to the peritoneal cavity (modeling recruitment to the original source of the inflammatory stimulus), no accumulation was observed [11 ]. To understand why this was the case, we returned to the cremaster muscle and observed that following systemic administration of LPS, leukocyte rolling was drastically reduced even when compared with baseline levels of recruitment [11 , 33 ]. Although leukocyte adhesion was significantly greater than baseline levels, it was not nearly as great as observed in response to local activation [11 ]. Similar effects of systemic TLR4 activation on recruitment to the skin were also observed [10 ]. The paucity in leukocyte/endothelial interactions was not a result of a lack of endothelial activation within the tissue, as increased adhesion molecule expression was detected in virtually all tissues including the skin and cremaster muscle [10 , 11 ]. Rather, it appears to be largely a result of the fact that nearly all leukocytes are trapped in the lung and liver; effectively removing them from the circulation [10 , 11 , 33 ]. The implication is that although inflammatory cells are stuck in the lung and mediating self-destruction of the tissue, they are no longer able to traffic to peripheral tissues. The same process of leukocyte trapping in the lung occurs during bacterial-induced septic shock [2 , 34 , 35 ], although it is not yet known if this is similarly dependent on endothelial activation. However, if the mechanism could be identified and specifically blocked, it might be possible to not only prevent lung injury but also to redirect inflammation back to the periphery to facilitate bacterial clearance.
Our recent studies suggest that the defect in leukocyte recruitment observed following systemic activation of TLR4 goes even further than a simple depletion of circulating leukocytes. In bone marrow chimeric mice in which leukocytes, but not endothelial cells, expressed TLR4, no significant drop in the number of circulating leukocytes was observed in response to systemic activation (i.e., they were not trapped in the lung). Despite this, leukocyte rolling in the cremaster muscle remained impaired [33 ], suggesting that activation of circulating leukocytes through TLR4 results in down-regulation of rolling mechanisms. In addition, despite the presence of at least some leukocyte adhesion, virtually no transmigration into peripheral tissues was observed following systemic TLR4 activation [11 ], even if a chemotactic stimulus was added locally in an attempt to draw leukocytes out of the vasculature (our unpublished observations). Indeed, in our in vitro assay of neutrophil migration to chemotactic stimuli, prior exposure to LPS to activate TLR4 initiates a p38-dependent inhibition of migration to intermediary [28 ] or end-target agents (our unpublished observations). Together, these studies demonstrate that if a leukocyte is activated through exposure to LPS while still in the circulation, recruitment mechanisms are shut down prematurely. Under normal circumstances, leukocytes would not encounter LPS until they had entered a tissue infected with a gram-negative bacteria. We are currently pursuing the in vivo mechanisms and implications of this process. Our working hypothesis is that p38 MAPK is activated in neutrophils from endotoxemic mice, and these neutrophils no longer respond to PI-3K or p38 MAPK-activating chemotactic stimuli.
In summary, we propose a model of disregulated leukocyte recruitment resulting from systemic activation of TLR4 by LPS (Fig. 3 ). Activation of endothelial TLR4 results in the activation of the endothelium throughout the body to express adhesion molecules. This results, for reasons we are only beginning to understand, in leukocyte accumulation specifically within the narrow vessels of the liver and especially the lung, causing damage to these tissues (Fig. 3A) . Circulating leukocytes are also activated through TLR4, but this is not responsible for leukocyte trapping in the lung as previously postulated. Instead, the premature activation of leukocytes in the circulation shuts down their migratory mechanisms, preventing them from effectively gaining access to an inflamed tissue in the periphery (Fig. 3) . Therefore, systemic activation of TLR4 (both on endothelial cells and circulating leukocyte) effectively paralyzes the inflammatory response, potentially limiting the appropriate clearance of a bacterial infection in peripheral tissues.
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Received October 22, 2004; revised February 7, 2005; accepted February 13, 2005.
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REFERENCES |
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TOPABSTRACTINTRODUCTIONMODELING TLR4-INDUCED...LEUKOCYTE RECRUITMENT IN...THE EFFECTS OF SYSTEMIC...REFERENCES |
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4-integrin in acute, subacute, and chronic leukocyte recruitment in vivo J. Immunol. 159,4514-4523[Abstract]
4 ß 1 (very late antigen (VLA)-4, CD49d/CD29) and 5 ß 1 (VLA-5, CD49e/CD29) integrins mediate ß 2 (CD11/CD18) integrin-independent neutrophil recruitment to endotoxin-induced lung inflammation J. Immunol. 166,4644-4649This article has been cited by other articles:
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  W. C. Aird Phenotypic Heterogeneity of the Endothelium: I. Structure, Function, and Mechanisms Circ. Res., February 2, 2007; 100(2): 158 - 173. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
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 S. M. A. Arraes, M. S. Freitas, S. V. da Silva, H. A. de Paula Neto, J. C. Alves-Filho, M. A. Martins, A. Basile-Filho, B. M. Tavares-Murta, C. Barja-Fidalgo, and F. Q. Cunha Impaired neutrophil chemotaxis in sepsis associates with GRK expression and inhibition of actin assembly and tyrosine phosphorylation Blood, November 1, 2006; 108(9): 2906 - 2913. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
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| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |
) are activated through TLR4 by local LPS administration. Endothelial cells are activated to express adhesion molecules resulting in the capture of circulating leukocytes from the blood flow. These leukocytes roll along the vascular wall until they encounter an appropriate chemotactic stimulus, often a chemokine, produced by the endothelium or tissue-resident macrophage. The leukocyte then transmigrates across the endothelial monolayer and into the surrounding tissue in response to the chemotactic agent. If bacteria are present in the inflamed site (for example, gram-negative bacteria expressing LPS), end-target chemotactic agents will be generated. Once the migrating leukocyte encounters an end-target chemotactic agent, migration toward the original, intermediary agent is inhibited, and the leukocyte migrates to the source of the bacterial infection.
