M. Tsuchiya

The interaction of mucosal lymphocytes and intestinal epithelial cells is thought to be important in regulating immune response in the intestinal mucosa, but conclusive evidence is limited. Here we demonstrate the expression of IL-7 mRNA in human intestinal mucosa by combined reverse transcription PCR and Southern blot hybridization. Immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization confirm the presence of IL-7 in intestinal epithelial cells, especially in epithelial goblet cells. Moreover, IL-7 receptor expression in mucosal lymphocytes is demonstrated by immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization, as well as by Southern blot and flow cytometric analysis of freshly isolated lamina propria lymphocytes. In contrast, IL-7 receptor could not be detected in the cell surface of freshly isolated PBLs. The functional activity of IL-7 receptor is demonstrated by the utility of recombinant IL-7 to stimulate the growth of lamina propria lymphocytes, and conversely inhibit CD3-dependent proliferation of these cells. In contrast, IL-7 caused no significant increase in DNA synthesis and cell numbers when added to PBLs. These findings suggest that human intestinal epithelial cells and epithelial goblet cells produce IL-7, and locally produced IL-7 may serve as a potent regulatory factor for intestinal mucosal lymphocytes.

ADP-ribosylation factors (ARFs) are approximately 20-kDa guanine nucleotide-binding proteins that serve as GTP-dependent allosteric activators of cholera toxin ADP-ribosyltransferase activity. Four species of mammalian ARF, termed ARF 1-4, have been identified by cloning. Hybridization of a bovine ARF 2 cDNA under low stringency with mammalian poly(A)+ RNA resulted in multiple bands that were subsequently assigned to the known ARF genes using ARF-specific oligonucleotide probes. The relative signal intensities of some bands (e.g. the 3.8- and 1.3-kilobase (kb) mRNAs) that hybridized with the cDNA were not, however, consistent with the intensities observed with the individual ARF-specific oligonucleotide probes. These inconsistencies suggested that other ARF-like mRNAs were comigrating with known ARF mRNAs. To explore this possibility, a cyclic AMP-differentiated HL-60 Lambda ZAP library was screened using the bovine ARF 2 cDNA. Clones corresponding to known ARF genes (1, 3, and 4) were identified by hybridization of positive clones with oligonucleotide probes specific for each ARF species; ARF 2 cDNA-positive, oligonucleotide-negative clones were sequenced. Two new ARF-like genes, ARF 5 and 6, encoding proteins of 180 and 175 amino acids, respectively, were identified. Both proteins contain consensus sequences believed to be involved in guanine nucleotide binding and GTP hydrolysis. ARF 5 was most similar in deduced amino acid sequence to ARF 4, which also has 180 amino acids. ARF 6, whose deduced amino acid sequence is identical with that of a putative chicken pseudogene (CPS1) except for a serine/threonine substitution, was different from other ARF species in size and deduced amino acid sequence. With mammalian poly(A)+ RNA from a variety of tissues and cultured cells, ARF 5 preferentially hybridized with a 1.3-kb mRNA, whereas ARF 6 hybridized with 1.8- and 4.2-kb mRNAs. The fact that the sizes of these mRNAs are similar to those of other ARFs (ARF 1, 1.9 kb; ARF 2, 2.6 kb; ARF 3, approximately 3.8 and 1.3 kb; ARF 4, 1.8 kb) explain the previously observed inconsistencies between the cDNA and ARF-specific oligonucleotide hybridization patterns. All six ARF cDNAs are more similar to each other than to other approximately 20-kDa guanine nucleotide-binding proteins.

The role of neutrophil and its chlorinated oxidant were investigated in Helicobacter pylori-induced gastric mucosal injury in vitro. Luminol-dependent chemiluminescence (ChL) was used to detect neutrophil-derived oxidants. ChL activity was significantly elevated when neutrophils were incubated in H. pylori, indicating that H. pylori actually elicits oxidative burst of neutrophils. To assess whether H. pylori-activated neutrophils exert the cytotoxicity for gastric mucosal cells, rabbit gastric mucosal cell was monolayered in culture wells and labeled with a fluorescence dye, 2',7'-bis(2-carboxyethyl)-5(6)carboxy-fluorescein, which is retained in the intracellular space as long as the cell membrane is intact. Labeled cells were coincubated with neutrophils and H. pylori. We inferred from the cytotoxicity index (specific %cytotoxicity), which was calculated from fluorometrical measurements of supernatant and lysate, that the mucosal cells were significantly damaged by H. pylori-activated neutrophils. This injury was largely attenuated by eliminating urea from the incubation mixture or by acetohydroxamic acid, a potent urease inhibitor. Additionally, the scavengers of neutrophil-derived oxidants, including taurine, methionine, and catalase, also attenuated this injury. Cultured mucosal cells that were exposed to the solution containing monochloramine (an oxidant yielded by reaction of hypochlorous acid and ammonia) were highly damaged compared with cells exposed to hypochlorous acid or hydrogen peroxide at physiological concentrations. These data suggest that H. pylori-activated neutrophils promote gastric mucosal cell injury and that monochloramine plays a unique and important role in this process.

Chromatin-bound ADP-ribosyltransferase from adult hen liver nuclei was purified to a homogeneous state through salt extraction, gel filtration, hydroxyapatite, phenyl-Sepharose, Cm-cellulose, and DNA-Sepharose. The ADP-ribosyltransferase has a pH optimum at 9.0 and does not require DNA for reaction. The purified enzyme has a molecular weight of 27,500 +/- 500. Agmatine sulfate, arginine methyl ester, histones, and casein proved to be effective acceptors for the ADP-ribose molecule. Among histones, H3 was most active, followed by H2a, H4, and H2b, in that order, the lowest activity seen with H1. With all the acceptors tested, the rate of nicotinamide release was in excess of the ADP-ribosylation. However, changes in the ratio of nicotinamide release to ADP-ribosylation seemed to depend on concentrations of the acceptor used. ADP-ribose-whole histones X adducts formed by ADP-ribosyltransferase served as initiators for poly(ADP-ribose) synthesis when these adducts were incubated in the presence of NAD, DNA, Mg2+, and the purified poly(ADP-ribose) synthetase, in which poly(ADP-ribose) formation can occur.

The effect of rebamipide, a novel antiulcer compound, on Helicobacter pylori activated neutrophil dependent in vitro gastric epithelial cell injury was investigated. Luminol dependent chemiluminescence (ChL), which detects toxic oxidants from neutrophils exhibited a 12-fold increase when the bacterial suspension of H pylori was added to the isolated human neutrophils. This change was significantly attenuated by rebamipide at a concentration less than 1 mM, showing that rebamipide may inhibit oxidant production from H pylori elicited neutrophils. To assess whether rebamipide attenuates gastric mucosal injury, we tested its inhibitory action on H pylori induced gastric mucosal damage associated with neutrophils in vitro. Rabbit gastric mucosal cells were monolayered in culture wells and coincubated with human neutrophils and H pylori, and the cytotoxicity index was then calculated. Cultured gastric cells were significantly damaged when they were incubated with human neutrophils activated by H pylori. This cellular damage was attenuated by rebamipide in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, spectrophotometrical measurement showed that rebamipide (1 mM) inhibits urease activity by 21.7%. As monochloramine (an oxidant yielded by reaction of neutrophil derived chlorinated oxidant and ammonia) is proposed as an important toxic molecule in this model, the current findings suggest that the preventive effect of rebamipide on H pylori elicited neutrophil induced gastric mucosal injury may result from its inhibitory actions on the neutrophilic oxidative burst as well as H pylori derived urease activity.