Published online before print August 3, 2007
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,

* Centre for Vascular Research and
Inflammatory Diseases Research Unit, School of Medical Sciences, The University of New South Wales, Kensington, NSW, Australia;
Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, NSW, Australia;
The Baird Institute for Applied Heart and Lung Surgical Research, NSW, Australia;
|| The Heart Research Institute, NSW, Australia; and
¶ Department of Cardiology, Concord Repatriation General Hospital, NSW, Australia
1 Correspondence: Centre for Vascular Research, School of Medical Sciences, 4th Floor Wallace Wurth Building, The University of New South Wales, Kensington, NSW, 2052, Australia. E-mail: l.kritharides{at}unsw.edu.au
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Key Words: inflammation adhesion molecules integrins heparin
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Constitutively expressed Mac-1 cannot mediate efficient adhesion or effector functions [16 ], consistent with the quiescent, nonadherent state of circulating neutrophils. Stimulus-induced up-regulation can increase CD11b expression by five- to tenfold [17 , 18 ] but is not required for Mac-1-mediated adhesion [19 , 20 ], indicating that qualitative changes may be more relevant to CD11b functional capacity than total cell surface expression. Neutrophil stimulation induces a conformational change within the N-terminal ligand-binding I domain of CD11b, which improves adhesion competence [21 , 22 ] and facilitates subsequent effector functions [23 ]. This conformational activation of CD11b reveals a neo-epitope within the I domain known as CBRM1/5, expression of which facilitates Mac-1 functional capacity [21 ] and may provide a more functionally relevant measure of circulating neutrophil activation status in vivo than total CD11b levels. Although up-regulation of CD11b expression and L-selectin shedding typically accompany CD11b conformational activation in vitro [24 ], little is known about the regulation of CD11b conformational activation in vivo. The potential to regulate conformationally active CD11b may provide a more specific strategy to therapeutically modify neutrophil responses during acute inflammatory states, similar to that achieved with platelet GPIIb/IIIa antagonists in acute coronary syndromes [25 ].
Cardiac surgery induces a highly proinflammatory, intravascular environment [26 , 27 ], which predictably induces tissue injury and myocardial ischemia/reperfusion. It thereby provides a useful model to investigate the regulation of CD11b conformational activation on circulating neutrophils during acute inflammation in vivo. Using whole blood flow cytometry, we identified a subpopulation of circulating neutrophils expressing the CD11b I domain activation-reporter neo-epitope CBRM1/5 in association with preserved L-selectin expression (CBRM1/5+/L-selectin+). This subpopulation was increased during cardiac surgery, reduced in the presence of heparin, and could be replicated by neutrophil stimulation in vitro.
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Reagents
Anticoagulants used were K3 EDTA and citrate-theophylline-adenosine-dipyradimole (CTAD) in sterile vacutainers (Becton Dickinson, Franklin Lakes, NJ, USA). The fluorescent nuclear dye Hoechst 33342 (Molecular Probes, Eugene OR, USA), 50 µM in 0.9% NaCl, was used to label leukocytes in whole blood. HBSS (Sigma Chemical Co., St. Louis, MO, USA) with 10 mM HEPES (Sigma Chemical Co.), 0.5% BSA (Sigma Chemical Co.), and 1 mM sodium azide (NaN3; HHBSS-BSA-N; Sigma Chemical Co.) was used to dilute samples. NaN3, 1 mM in 0.9% NaCl (Baxter Healthcare, Sydney, Australia), was used during antibody incubation. IL-8 in PBS/0.25% BSA and complement C3a in PBS (Calbiochem, Darmstadt, Germany); platelet-activating factor (PAF; β-acetyl-
-O-alkyl-L-
-phosphatidylcholine) in DMSO, diluted in 0.15 M NaCl/0.25% BSA; histamine and ATP, both in sterile water; and fMLF (all from Sigma Chemical Co.) and PF4 in PBS/0.25% BSA (R&D Systems, Minneapolis, MN, USA), were used for neutrophil stimulation. Unfractionated porcine heparin (Pharmacia, Perth, Australia) for analysis of the effect of heparin on adhesion molecule expression in vitro. All buffers and reagents were Zetapore (Cuno Filter Systems, Meriden, CT, USA)-filtered for sterilization and to minimize LPS contamination.
Patients
Patients, aged 40–80 years (Table 1A
), undergoing elective primary coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG) for chronic stable angina pectoris, were prospectively recruited from the Cardiothoracic Surgical Unit of Royal Prince Alfred Hospital (Sydney, Australia). Written, informed consent was obtained from all patients, and the study was approved by the institutional ethics committee.
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Table 1A. Patient Demographic Data
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5.7 U/ml blood vol unfractionated porcine heparin (Pharmacia), and was administered to maintain an activated clotting time greater than 350 s. The CPB circuit was primed with 2.5 L crystalloid and 10,000 U unfractionated porcine heparin (Pharmacia). At the completion of grafting, patients were weaned from CPB, and protamine sulfate (1 mg/100 U administered heparin) was given. Operative details and clinical outcome data are detailed in Table 1B
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Table 1B. Operative and Outcome Data
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Table 1C. Sampling Stages
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Flow cytometry
Antibody labeling of whole blood was a modification of a previously published method [29
]. Aliquots (5 µL) of Hoechst-labeled blood were incubated with 1 µL each mAb (predetermined saturating concentrations) in 1 mM NaN3 on ice in the dark for 15 min and then diluted to 1 ml with HHBSS-BSA-N and stored at 4°C in the dark for up to 6 h. Labeling of live neutrophils in whole blood within 60 min of sampling, without isolation, erythrocyte lysis, or fixation was performed to minimize potential ex vivo alteration of the cell surface membrane components measured [30
, 31
].
Flow cytometry was performed using an LSR bench-top flow cytometer (BDIS); Cell Quest Pro software (BDIS, Version 4.0.2) was used to acquire and store data files. The validity of data over time was confirmed by daily calibration of the flow cytometer using Calibrite Rainbow beads (BDIS). A total of 1–1.5 x 106 events per sample was acquired, and leukocytes, identified by positive Hoechst 33342 fluorescence, and neutrophil events within the leukocyte gate, identified on the basis of their characteristic forward- and side-angle light-scatter, were analyzed for mAb-related fluorescence. This granulocyte-gating strategy was based on a previously validated technique for identification of neutrophils in whole blood flow cytometry samples [29 , 32 ]. The percentage of neutrophil events with positive mAb fluorescence was determined for each sample (isotype controls defined parameters for negative fluorescence), and logarithmically acquired data for positive populations were linearly converted to mean fluorescence intensity (MFI).
Full blood counts
Differential full blood counts on EDTA-CTAD-anticoagulated blood from CABG patients were performed with a Sysmex SF-3000 (Roche Diagnostics, Sydney, Australia) automatic full blood-count analyzer. Neutrophil counts after baseline were corrected for hemodilution using the formula: (baseline hematocrit/observed hematocrit) x observed neutrophil count = corrected count.
Neutrophil adhesion assay
Neutrophil adhesion to the CD11b I domain ligand fibrinogen was assayed using a dilute whole blood technique. Sterile, 24-well tissue-culture plates precoated overnight with fibrinogen (45 µg/well in PBS, Sigma Chemical Co.) at 4°C were blocked for 1 h with 1% BSA (Sigma Chemical Co.). Blood was collected from healthy volunteers (n=3) by modified venepuncture (drip collection using 21 G butterfly needle and tourniquet) to minimize CD11b activation, anticoagulated with EDTA, and stimulated with PAF (10 ng/ml) or an equal volume of DMSO (Sigma Chemical Co.; negative control) ± heparin (100 U/ml) for 10 min at 37°C. Samples were diluted 1:100 with HHBSS, 0.5 ml aliquots were placed into fibrinogen-coated wells and incubated for 1 h at 37°C and then washed five times with HHBSS and stained with Diff Quick, and adherent neutrophils, identified by their characteristic staining and morphology, were counted.
Plasma sL-selectin levels
Plasma sL-selectin levels were analyzed at sample stages 1–7 (n=16 patients) using a commercial EMSA (ELISA) kit (R&D Systems), according to the manufacturers instructions. sL-selectin levels, obtained from samples after baseline, were corrected for hemodilution using the formula: (baseline hematocrit/observed hematocrit) x observed sL-selectin level = corrected sL-selectin level. Standard curves and sample concentrations were determined in duplicate using SoftMax Pro (Version 4.0, Molecular Devices, VIC, Australia) software.
Statistical analysis
Results were analyzed using Prism statistical software (GraphPad Prism Version 4.00 for Windows, GraphPad Software, San Diego, CA, USA). Pair-wise comparisons were performed using Wilcoxon signed rank test or paired t-tests as appropriate. Multiple comparisons were performed using Friedman test with Dunns post-test or one-way repeated measures ANOVA with Tukeys post-test as appropriate. Statistical significance was defined as P < 0.05.
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Figure 1. A subpopulation of circulating neutrophils expresses conformationally active CD11b during basal and acute inflammatory conditions in vivo. Flow cytometry was used to determine neutrophil expression of the CD11b activation-specific neo-epitope CBRM1/5 in combination with L-selectin in patients undergoing cardiac surgery. (A–C and E) Dot-plots from a representative patient demonstrate total leukocyte events with neutrophils gated (A, R1); characteristic forward- and side-angle light-scatter of gated neutrophils (B, R2); neutrophil CBRM1/5 (y-axis) and L-selectin (CD62L, x-axis) expression at baseline (C) and during CPB at peak myocardial ischemia (E). Events in the upper-right quadrant represent CBRM1/5+ neutrophils at each stage. (D and F) Histograms from the same representative patient demonstrate neutrophil CBRM1/5-PE expression (bold lines) relative to that of the PE-conjugated isotype control mAb (dashed lines) at baseline (D) and during peak myocardial ischemia on CPB (F). (F) Light line represents CBRM1/5 expression at baseline.
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Figure 2. CBRM1/5+ and Mac-1+ neutrophil populations are influenced differentially by cardiac surgery. The proportion of circulating neutrophils expressing the CBRM1/5 neo-epitope (%CBRM1/5+), CD11b, and CD18 at baseline and in response to CABG was determined by flow cytometry at sample stages 1–7 (Table 1C)
. Data represent mean ± SEM %CBRM1/5+ (A), %CD11b+ (B), and %CD18+ (C) neutrophils for n = 16 patients. ***, P < 0.001; **, P < 0.01; *, P < 0.05, versus post-heparin. PMNs, Polymorphonuclear neutrophils.
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Figure 3. Cardiac surgery induces similar up-regulation of CBRM1/5 and Mac-1 on the respective neutrophil populations. (A) CBRM1/5 MFI was determined on CBRM1/5+ neutrophils at sample stages 1–7 (Table 1C)
. Data represent mean ± SEM CBRM1/5 MFI for n = 14 CABG patients who had detectable CBRM1/5+ neutrophils at all sample stages; **, P < 0.01, versus baseline; ###, P < 0.001; #, P < 0.05, versus post-heparinzation. (B–D) Neutrophil CD11b (B and C) and CD18 (D) expression was determined by flow cytometry on blood collected from CABG patients (n=16) at sample stages 1–7. CD11b expression was determined using mAb to the N (B, D12)- and C (C, VIM12)-terminal domains. Data represent mean ± SEM CD11b (B and C) or CD18 (D) MFI; ***, P < 0.001; **, P < 0.01; *, P < 0.05, versus post-heparin. (E–G) Flow cytometry histograms from a representative patient demonstrate neutrophil CD11b (E, D12 mAb; F, VIM12 mAb) and CD18 (G) mAb-binding at baseline (light lines) and during peak myocardial ischemia/CPB (bold lines); dashed lines are the isotype control-related fluorescence.
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The proportion of circulating neutrophils expressing the CBRM1/5 neo-epitope decreased markedly (4.1±0.9-fold) following systemic heparinization (Fig. 4A
and 4B
), whereas proportions of CD11b+ and CD18+ neutrophils (
99.4%) were unaffected (data not shown). The intensity of CBRM1/5 expression on residual CBRM1/5+ neutrophils was unexpectedly not affected by heparin (Fig. 4C)
. In contrast, the intensity of CD11b expression on Mac-1+ neutrophils was reduced mildly by heparin; N- terminal mAb-binding decreased by 14.9 ± 4.5% (Fig. 4D
and 4E)
and C-terminal mAb binding, by 17.1 ± 2.6% (Fig. 4F
and 4G)
. CD18 (Fig. 4H
and 4I)
and L-selectin (Fig. 4J
and 4K)
levels were unaltered by heparin administration.
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Figure 4. Systemic heparinization decreases the proportion of neutrophils exhibiting CBRM1/5 neo-epitope expression. The %CBRM1/5+ neutrophils (A and B), CBRM1/5 MFI on CBRM1/5+ neutrophils (C), N (D12, D and E)- and C (VIM12, F and G)-terminal domain total CD11b, CD18 (H and I), and L-selectin (J and K) expression were assessed on neutrophils in blood collected from CABG patients (n=16) pre- and post-heparin administration using flow cytometry. Data represent mean ± SEM %CBRM1/5+ neutrophils (A), MFI for mAb binding (C, n=14 patients), and (D, F, H, J, n=16 patients) or flow cytometry histograms for pre (light lines)- and post (bold lines)-heparin samples from a single representative patient (B, E, G, I, K, dashed lines represent isotype control-related fluorescence; *, P < 0.05; **, P < 0.01; ***, P < 0.001, for pre-heparin versus post-heparin. (Data for CBRM1/5 MFI represent n=14 CABG patients with detectable CBRM1/5+ neutrophils at all sample stages.)
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Figure 5. L-selectin was not shed during cardiac surgery. (A) L-selectin MFI was analyzed separately on CBRM1/5+ () and CBRM1/5– ( ) neutrophils at sample stages 1–7. Data represent mean ± SEM MFI for n = 14 CABG patients with detectable CBRM1/5+ neutrophils at all stages; ***, P < 0.001, versus baseline; ###, P < 0.001; #, P < 0.05, versus post-heparin and CPB/myocardial ischemia samples. L-selectin expression on CBRM1/5+ versus CBRM1/5– neutrophils was not significantly different (P=0.19, two-way repeated measures ANOVA). (B) Flow cytometry histogram from a representative patient illustrating L-selectin expression on CBRM1/5+ (bold line) and CBRM1/5– (light line) neutrophils during myocardial ischemia/CPB. The dashed line represents the isotype control mAb. (C) Plasma sL-selectin levels were determined at sample stages 1–7 using a commercial ELISA kit and results after baseline corrected for hemodilution as described in Materials and Methods. Data represent mean ± SEM sL-selectin (ng/ml) for n = 16 patients; **, P < 0.01, versus baseline.
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IL-8, C3a, and PAF significantly increased the proportion of CBRM1/5+ neutrophils and the intensity of neo-epitope expression on the CBRM1/5+ subpopulation relative to the negative control, whereas histamine and PF4 were ineffective (Table 2A
and Fig. 6A
6B
6C
). In contrast, total CD11b expression did not increase under these conditions (Table 2B
). Whole blood incubation with histamine, ATP, and PF4 significantly reduced CD11b expression relative to unstimulated neutrophils, whereas the other agonists provoked a mild but nonsignificant increase in total CD11b (Fig. 6J
6K
6L)
. CD18 expression increased in response to IL-8 and PAF (Table 2B)
, whereas the other agonists induced only minimal changes. Unlike CBRM1/5, which was expressed only by a subpopulation of neutrophils,
99.5% of neutrophils were Mac-1+ and L-selectin+ for all conditions tested (Fig. 6J
6K
6L)
; L-selectin expression was unaffected by neutrophil stimulation at 30°C (Table 2C
and Fig. 6
, A–C and J–L).
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Table 2A. Effect of Stimulation and Heparin on Neutrophil CBRM1/5 Neo-Epitope Expression
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Figure 6. Stimulus-induced up-regulation of CBRM1/5 expression can occur independently of changes in total CD11b and L-selectin. Neutrophils in whole blood were stimulated with agonists or PBS/0.25% BSA in the absence or presence of heparin (10 U/ml). CBRM1/5 neo-epitope (CBRM1/5 FI; A–F, y-axis; G–I, x-axis), total CD11b (CD11b FI; J–L, y-axis; M–O, x-axis), and L-selectin (CD62L FI; A–F and J–L, x-axis) expression was determined by flow cytometry, and flow cytometry dot-plots and histograms from one donor representative of results obtained in n = 8 demonstrate the response to PBS/0.25% BSA (A and J), IL-8 (B and K), and histamine (C and L) and the effect of heparin on detection of CBRM1/5+ events (D and G, PBS/0.25% BSA; E and H, IL-8; F and I, histamine) and CD11b expression (M, PBS/0.25% BSA; N, IL-8; O, histamine).
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Table 2B. Effect of Stimulation and Heparin on Neutrophil CD11b and CD18 Expression
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Table 2C. Effect of Stimulation and Heparin on Neutrophil L-Selectin Expression
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Figure 7. Neutrophil stimulation with fMLF at 37°C. Neutrophils in whole blood collected by 21 G venepuncture were incubated at 37°C with 10–6 M fMLF for 10 min in vitro (A, B, D, E) and then exposed to heparin (20 U/ml) for a further 10 min at 37°C (C and F). CBRM1/5 (A–C, y-axis), total CD11b (D–F, y-axis), and L-selectin (A–F, x-axis) expression was determined by flow cytometry. Dot-plots are from a single donor representative of n = 2; events in right-sided quadrants represent L-selectin+ neutrophils, whereas those in left-sided quadrants are L-selectin-negative.
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Irrespective of the stimulus, the proportion of neutrophils expressing the CBRM1/5 neo-epitope was decreased significantly by heparin; a similar, marked reduction was evident for unstimulated neutrophils or those activated by specific agonists (Table 2A
and Fig. 6
, D–I). In samples incubated with IL-8, C3a, PAF, and histamine, heparin reduced the intensity of CBRM1/5 expression by 13.4 ± 1.9% on those neutrophils, which remained CBRM1/5+ (Table 2A)
. Although
99.2% of neutrophils remained CD11b+ and CD18+ (data not shown), the intensity of CD11b expression was reduced by 17.2 ± 1.6% (Table 2B
and Fig. 6
, M–O) and of CD18 by 14.8 ± 1.4% (Table 2B)
on these Mac-1+ neutrophils. Heparin did not significantly reduce CBRM1/5, CD11b, or CD18 expression on neutrophils activated by fMLF (Fig. 7C
and 7F)
or ATP or CD18 levels induced by PF4 (Table 2A
and 2B)
. The proportion of CBRM1/5+ neutrophils induced by stimulation with fMLF (
94%) was unaffected by heparin concentrations of up to 1000 U/ml (Table 2D
). L-selectin levels were unaffected by heparin, regardless of the stimulus (Table 2C)
.
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Table 2D. Heparin Does Not Suppress CBRM1/5 Up-Regulation by fMLF
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Table 2E. Effect of PAF and Heparin on Neutrophil Adhesion
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Neutrophil CD11b expression is up-regulated by diverse systemic, inflammatory stimuli [38 39 40 ]. Although this correlates positively with indicators of disease severity [6 ] and adverse outcomes [7 , 8 ], increased CD11b expression does not necessarily equate to augmented CD11b-adhesive capacity [19 , 20 ], which is requisite for potentially injurious, neutrophil-endothelial interactions [41 ]. However, Mac-1 adhesion competence [21 ] and activation of Mac-1-dependent neutrophil effector functions [23 ] are facilitated by conformational activation of CD11b. Increased expression of conformationally active CD11b is seen on circulating leukocytes during systemic acute inflammatory states [8 , 42 , 43 ] and given its functional significance in vitro, may be more relevant to the pathophysiology of neutrophil-mediated tissue injury. Circulating monocytes with increased CBRM1/5 expression in vivo exhibit increased Mac-1-mediated endothelial adhesion in vitro [43 ], supporting the functional relevance of this response. The CBRM1/5+/L-selectin+ phenotype we have identified characterizes a circulating neutrophil subpopulation with likely heightened potential for rolling and firm adhesive endothelial interactions, which may be implicated in inadvertent tissue injury associated with acute inflammatory states. Although the exact functional significance of increased CBRM1/5 expression during cardiac surgery remains to be defined, the inability of anti-Mac-1 strategies to improve outcomes in human anti-inflammatory trials may be a result of the failure of particular antibodies to specifically inhibit conformationally active CD11b on circulating leukocytes. The effectiveness of the anti-platelet GPIIa/IIIb mAb 7E3 in acute coronary syndromes may be partially attributed to its ability to bind conformationally active CD11b and inhibit Mac-1-mediated leukocyte adhesion [44 ]. The expanded CBRM1/5+ circulating neutrophil subpopulation, which we demonstrate, peri-operatively identifies a potential target for such selective, anti-integrin strategies.
Changes in the proportion of CBRM1/5+ neutrophils in response to cardiac surgery, stimulation in vitro, and exposure to heparin suggest that CD11b conformational activation follows a threshold effect on each cell, whereby a certain proportion of CD11b molecules is activated [21 ], causing the cell to become CBRM1/5+. The intensity of neo-epitope expression on CBRM1/5+ cells is likely determined by levels of total CD11b expression, as demonstrated by the similar changes in CD11b and CBRM1/5 MFIs during cardiac surgery and exposure to heparin. Stimulation of neutrophils in vitro with soluble plasma mediators known to be released during cardiac surgery [26 , 35 36 37 ] confirmed that conformational activation of CD11b could be induced independently of changes in total Mac-1 or L-selectin levels. Stimulation with PAF also increased neutrophil adhesion to the CD11b I domain ligand fibrinogen, indicating that conformational activation of CD11b is functionally relevant. Hypothermia limits stimulus-induced changes in CD11b [19 ] and L-selectin expression [45 ], without inhibiting enhanced, CD11b-mediated adhesion [19 ] and may provide an environment conducive to apparently independent regulation of CBRM1/5 expression. Our in vitro results suggest that C3a, which has not been implicated previously as a regulator of CD11b activation, may contribute to the increased CD11b conformational activation evident intra-operatively. In contrast, platelet release products (ATP, PF4) and histamine do not appear to contribute to this response.
Heparin substantially decreased proportions of CBRM1/5+ neutrophils apparent in vivo and in vitro and reduced CD11b-mediated adhesion, whereas proportions of Mac-1+ neutrophils were unaffected, and CD11b expression on these neutrophils was only reduced mildly. This suggests that heparin preferentially interacts with conformationally active CD11b, obscures the CBRM1/5 neo-epitope, and inhibits conformationally active I domain adhesive function under conditions of mild activation such as stimulation with PAF. Under conditions of more severe activation, such as that achieved with fMLF, heparin does not suppress CD11b conformational activation, suggesting a qualitative difference between the mild activation induced by agents such as PAF and that induced by fMLF. This may also indicate that the heparin effect is not explained completely by epitope masking alone. It was not feasible to investigate neutrophil CBRM1/5 expression during CABG in the absence of heparin because of excessive activation of coagulation, so effects of heparin were investigated on CBRM1/5 mAb-binding in vitro under conditions similar to the intravascular environment during CPB. These results support our proposal that heparin interacted with CBRM1/5 on neutrophils from patients pre-CPB. The failure of heparin to reduce the intensity of CBRM1/5 expression on residual CBRM1/5+ neutrophils in vivo is more difficult to interpret, although a subtle reduction in the intensity of CBRM1/5 expression, to a degree similar to that achieved with CD11b, may not have been detectable on this small (2.1±0.6%) neutrophil population. This is supported by the in vitro findings, which revealed reduced CBRM1/5 intensity of similar magnitude to the decreases in CD11b and CD18 expression on a larger population (>12%, Table 2A ) of residual CBRM1/5+ neutrophils upon exposure to heparin. Preferential binding of conformationally active CD11b identifies a potential mechanism by which heparin binds CD11b [34 ] and inhibits binding of I domain ligands [46 ] on activated but not resting neutrophils. It may also contribute to the ability of heparin to inhibit CD11b-mediated, neutrophil-endothelial interactions and transendothelial migration in vivo [47 ].
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Received September 4, 2006; revised June 12, 2007; accepted June 25, 2007.
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; formerly gp 110), a surface glycoprotein associated with neutrophil adhesion J. Clin. Invest. 74,1280-1290[Medline]
m β 2) in human neutrophils J. Clin. Invest. 92,1467-1476[Medline]
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