Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), a heparin-binding factor, is synthesized as a single-chain inactive precursor (pro-HGF), which is converted by proteolysis to an active heterodimer (mature HGF). HGF has pleiotropic activities and has been implicated in the regulation of mitogenesis, motogenesis, and morphogenesis of epithelial and endothelial cells. As polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs) secrete numerous cytokines involved in the modulation of local inflammation, we investigated their ability to produce HGF. We found that HGF was stored in secretory vesicles and in gelatinase/specific granules. This intracellular stock was rapidly mobilized by degranulation when neutrophils were stimulated with phorbol myristate acetate or N-formylmethionylleucyl-phenylalanine. Cycloheximide did not affect the release of HGF. Moreover, HGF messenger RNA and protein expression was found in bone marrow myeloid cells, suggesting that HGF synthesis likely occurs during PMN maturation. In mature circulating PMNs, intracellular HGF was in the pro-HGF form, whereas the HGF secreted by degranulation was the mature form. Furthermore, PMNs pretreated with diisopropyl fluorophosphate only released the pro-HGF form, suggesting that PMN-derived serine protease(s) are involved in the proteolytic process. We also obtained evidence that secreted mature HGF binds PMN-derived glycosaminoglycans (probably heparan sulfate). These findings suggest that PMNs infiltrating damaged tissues may modulate local wound healing and repair through the production of HGF, a major mediator of tissue regeneration. IntroductionHepatocyte growth factor (HGF), a heparin-binding factor, was originally described as a potent mitogen for the growth of hepatocytes in vitro and was subsequently purified from rat platelets, 1 plasma of a patient with fulminant hepatic failure, 2 and normal human plasma. 3 HGF has mitogenic, motogenic, and morphogenic effects on various epithelial and endothelial cell types. 4,5 Many studies have demonstrated that embryogenesis, angiogenesis, hematopoiesis, as well as wound healing and organ regeneration, are critically controlled by HGF. [5][6][7] HGF is secreted as a 92-kd single-chain pro-HGF that requires endoproteolytic processing. This processing is mediated by a serine protease. The HGF activator, 8 blood coagulation factor XII, 9 urokinase, 10 and tissue-type plasminogen activator 11 are reported to activate HGF. Processing of HGF results in a bioactive form (mature HGF) consisting of a disulfide-linked 69-kd ␣ chain and a 32-kd ␤ chain. 12 The biologic effects of HGF are mediated by the activation of its high-affinity binding site known as the tyrosine kinase receptor c-met. 13 Besides c-met, HGF possesses lower-affinity/highcapacity binding sites corresponding to extracellular matrix molecules (glycosaminoglycans or collagen) or to cell surfaceassociated heparan sulfate 14,15 ; this correspondence creates a molecular reservoir of HGF on the cell surface, whereas HGF transfer to c-met initiates the cellular response. 16 The broad r...

SUMMARY:Polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMN) are involved in the pathogenesis of acute lung injury (ALI), secreting numerous mediators such as proteases, reactive oxygen species, and cytokines. Because we had recently observed the ability of normal human PMN to degranulate and synthesize oncostatin M (OSM), an IL-6 -family cytokine, we quantified OSM production ex vivo by highly purified blood and alveolar PMN from 24 ventilated patients with ALI, including some patients with severe pneumonia. Most of the patients had no detectable OSM in plasma, and OSM production by cultured blood PMN was similar to that of healthy controls. However, OSM was present in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid supernatant, with significantly higher levels during pneumonia. In addition, alveolar OSM levels correlated with the number of PMN obtained by BAL, suggesting that PMN are an important source of OSM within the alveoli. Indeed, purified alveolar PMN from all of the patients, especially those with pneumonia, strongly produced OSM. Interestingly, in the latter patients, alveolar PMN always produced more OSM than autologous blood PMN. These results document the functional duality of PMN in ALI by showing the participation of PMN in the modulation of lung inflammation. (Lab Invest 2001, 81:133-141).

Oncostatin M (OSM) is an interleukin-6 (IL-6) family cytokine known in particular to induce the synthesis of acute-phase proteins by hepatocytes. Because human polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMN) can secrete numerous cytokines, the potential production of OSM by PMN was investigated. Highly purified PMN were found to contain an intracellular stock of preformed OSM that was rapidly mobilized by degranulating agents such as phorbol myristate acetate and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF). Moreover, PMN produced OSM after a few hours of stimulation by various agonists. The most potent effect was observed with the combination of lipopolysaccharide and GM-CSF, which had a concentration- and time-dependent effect at both the protein and mRNA levels. Actinomycin D strongly reduced OSM mRNA induction, suggesting the involvement of gene transcription. Cycloheximide inhibited OSM protein synthesis but did not affect the release of preformed stores. In addition, OSM production was downregulated by dexamethasone, whereas IL-10 had no effect. The OSM produced by PMN was biologically active, as demonstrated by its ability to induce 1-acid glycoprotein synthesis by HepG2 cells. OSM secretion thus occurs through a two-step mechanism in PMN, consisting of early release of a preformed stock, followed by de novo protein synthesis. This would allow rapid and sustained OSM release to occur at inflammatory sites, and may contribute to the modulation of local inflammation.

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Oncostatin M (OSM) is an interleukin-6 (IL-6) family cytokine known in particular to induce the synthesis of acute-phase proteins by hepatocytes. Because human polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMN) can secrete numerous cytokines, the potential production of OSM by PMN was investigated. Highly purified PMN were found to contain an intracellular stock of preformed OSM that was rapidly mobilized by degranulating agents such as phorbol myristate acetate and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF). Moreover, PMN produced OSM after a few hours of stimulation by various agonists. The most potent effect was observed with the combination of lipopolysaccharide and GM-CSF, which had a concentration- and time-dependent effect at both the protein and mRNA levels. Actinomycin D strongly reduced OSM mRNA induction, suggesting the involvement of gene transcription. Cycloheximide inhibited OSM protein synthesis but did not affect the release of preformed stores. In addition, OSM production was downregulated by dexamethasone, whereas IL-10 had no effect. The OSM produced by PMN was biologically active, as demonstrated by its ability to induce 1-acid glycoprotein synthesis by HepG2 cells. OSM secretion thus occurs through a two-step mechanism in PMN, consisting of early release of a preformed stock, followed by de novo protein synthesis. This would allow rapid and sustained OSM release to occur at inflammatory sites, and may contribute to the modulation of local inflammation.

We tested the novel hypothesis that neutrophils in the lung or the airspaces may produce hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) in ventilated patients with acute respiratory failure. Neutrophils were purified from blood and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid samples from 16 mechanically ventilated patients who underwent BAL for a diagnostic workup of ventilator-acquired pneumonia. Most of the patients had pneumonia (n = 11). Ten nonventilated patients served as controls. Both blood and BAL neutrophils released HGF in vitro. Basal HGF secretion by blood neutrophils from controls was 823 (666) pg x ml(-1) x 10(-7) neutrophils (median, 25th-75th percentile) and doubled to 1,730 (1,684-2,316) pg x ml(-1) x 10(-7) neutrophils (P = 0.001) with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation. Basal HGF secretion by blood neutrophils from patients was similar [956 (655-2,140) pg x ml(-1) x 10(-7) neutrophils, P = 0.4] and doubled with LPS stimulation [2,767 (2,165-3,688) pg x ml(-1) x 10(-7) neutrophils, P < 0.0001 vs. controls]. Alveolar neutrophils released HGF in vitro [653 (397-1,209) pg x ml(-1) x 10(-7) neutrophils]. LPS stimulation did not significantly increase the HGF release from alveolar neutrophils [762 (434-1,305) pg x ml(-1) x 10(-7) neutrophils]. BAL HGF positively correlated with the BAL neutrophil count (P = 0.01, R = 0.58). We conclude that blood and alveolar neutrophils from patients with acute respiratory failure can produce HGF, a mitogenic factor that may enhance the alveolar repair process.

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