Focal adhesion of leukocytes to the blood vessel lining is a key step in inflammation and certain vascular disease processes. Endothelial leukocyte adhesion molecule-1 (ELAM-1), a cell surface glycoprotein expressed by cytokine-activated endothelium, mediates the adhesion of blood neutrophils. A full-length complementary DNA (cDNA) for ELAM-1 has now been isolated by transient expression in COS cells. Cells transfected with the ELAM-1 clone express a surface structure recognized by two ELAM-1 specific monoclonal antibodies (H4/18 and H18/7) and support the adhesion of isolated human neutrophils and the promyelocytic cell line HL-60. Expression of ELAM-1 transcripts in cultured human endothelial cells is induced by cytokines, reaching a maximum at 2 to 4 hours and decaying by 24 hours; cell surface expression of ELAM-1 protein parallels that of the mRNA. The primary sequence of ELAM-1 predicts an amino-terminal lectin-like domain, an EGF domain, and six tandem repetitive motifs (about 60 amino acids each) related to those found in complement regulatory proteins. A similar domain structure is also found in the MEL-14 lymphocyte cell surface homing receptor, and in granule-membrane protein 140, a membrane glycoprotein of platelet and endothelial secretory granules that can be rapidly mobilized (less than 5 minutes) to the cell surface by thrombin and other stimuli. Thus, ELAM-1 may be a member of a nascent gene family of cell surface molecules involved in the regulation of inflammatory and immunological events at the interface of vessel wall and blood.

The accumulation of blood leukocytes at sites of inflammation depends upon their localized adhesion to the vascular lining. We have investigated the hypothesis that this adhesive interaction involves inducible endothelial cell-surface structures that can bind leukocytes. Certain infammatory! immune cytokines, namely interleukin 1, tumor necrosis factor, and lymphotoxin, as well as bacterial endotoxin, act on cultured human endothelial cells (HEC) in a time-and proteinsynthesis-dependent fashion to increase leukocyte adhesion. (unpublished observations). In all cases, fusions of splenocytes to the NS-1 myeloma cell line and all subsequent procedures were done as described (15).

One decade ago, vascular endothelium was commonly considered a "non-stick" lining of blood vessels that functioned only to prevent blood coagulation and to separate the vascular space from tissues. By comparison to many other cell types, endothelial cells were thought to be less active, less complex, and less interesting. Since that time, research concerning the endothelium has expanded dramatically and produced a new image of the vascular lining as an active participant in a wide variety of pathophysiological processes, including inflammation and immunity. Nowhere has the excitement been more intense than in the study of the molecular mechanisms of leukocyte adhesion to endothelium. Recent efforts resulted in the identification, characterization, and cloning of multiple endothelial cell-surface glycoproteins that support adhesion through an interaction with specific ligands (or counter-receptors) on leukocytes. The selectins, two of which are found on endothelium and one on leukocytes, support adhesion through the recognition of carbohydrates. Endothelial members of the immunoglobulin superfamily including ICAM-1 and VCAM-1/INCAM-110 bind to leukocyte cell-surface integrins. In various combinations, these and other molecules support leukocyte adhesion to the vessel wall and extravasation, key steps in our response to infection and tissue injury.

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Granule membrane protein-140 (GMP-140), a membrane glycoprotein of platelet and endothelial cell secretory granules, is rapidly redistributed to the plasma membrane during cellular activation and degranulation. Also known as PADGEM protein, GMP-140 is structurally related to two molecules involved in leukocyte adhesion to vascular endothelium: ELAM-1, a cytokine-inducible endothelial cell receptor for neutrophils, and the MEL-14 lymphocyte homing receptor. These three proteins define a new gene family, termed selectins, each of which contains an N-terminal lectin domain, followed by an epidermal growth factor-like module, a variable number of repeating units related to those in complement-binding proteins, a transmembrane domain, and a short cytoplasmic tail. Here we demonstrate that GMP-140 can mediate leukocyte adhesion, thus establishing a functional similarity with the other selectins. Human neutrophils and promyelocytic HL-60 cells bind specifically to COS cells transfected with GMP-140 complementary DNA and to microtitre wells coated with purified GMP-140. Cell binding does not require active neutrophil metabolism but is dependent on extracellular Ca2+. Within minutes after stimulation with phorbol esters or histamine, human endothelial cells become adhesive for neutrophils; this interaction is inhibited by antibodies to GMP-140. Thus, GMP-140 expressed by activated endothelium might promote rapid neutrophil targeting to sites of acute inflammation.

Human recombinant tumor necrosis factor (rTNF) was found to act directly on cultured human vascular endothelium to induce a tissue factor-like procoagulant activity (PCA). After a 4-hr incubation in rTNF (100 units/ml), serially passaged endothelial cells isolated from umbilical veins, saphenous veins, iliac arteries, and thoracic aortae demonstrated a dramatic increase (4-to 15-fold, 21 experiments) in total cellular PCA as measured with a one-stage clotting assay. rTNF-induced PCA was also expressed at the surface of intact viable endothelial monolayers. Induction of PCA by rTNF was concentration dependent (maximum, 500 units/ml), time dependent, reversible, and blocked by cycloheximide and actinomycin D, and it occurred without detectable endothelial cell damage. Actions of rTNF were compared with those of natural human interleukin 1 (IL-1) derived from stimulated monocytes and two distinct species of recombinant IL-1, each of which also induced endothelial PCA. The use of recombinant polypeptides and specific neutralizing antisera established the distinct natures of the mediators. The minetics ofthe endothelial PCA responses to TNF and IL-1 werf similar, demonstrating a rapid rise to peak activity at -4 hr, apd a decline toward basal levels by 24 hr. This characteristic decline in PCA after prolonged incubation with TNF or IL-1 was accompanied by selective endothelial hyporesponsiveness to the initially stimulating monokine. Interestingly, the effects of TNF and IL-1 were found to be additive even at apparent maximal doses of the individual monokines. Endothelial-directed actions of TNF, alone or in combination with other monokines, may be important in the initiation ofcoagulation and inflammatory responses in vivo.

Increased leukocyte adhesion to the endothelial lining of blood vessels is an essential event in inflammation and the pathogenesis of certain vascular diseases. We have studied the effect of interleukin 1 (IL-1), an inflammatory/immune mediator, on endothelial-leukocyte adhesion using quantitative in vitro assays. Selective pretreatment of cultured human umbilical vein endothelial monolayers with IL-1 (5 U/ml, 4 h) resulted in an 18.3±2.6-fold increase in human peripheral blood polymorphonuclear leukocyte (PMN) adhesion (mean±SEM, n = 16) and a 2.6±0.3-fold increase in monocyte adhesion (n = 7) over basal levels. IL-i-treated endothelial monolayers also supported increased adhesion of the promyelocytic cell line HL-60 and the monocytelike cell line U937 (33.0±6.0-fold, n = 6 and 4.9±0.5-fold, n = 15, respectively). In contrast, selective IL-1 pretreatment of leukocytes, or the addition of IL-1 during the adhesion assay, did not alter endothelial-leukocyte adhesion. Conditioned medium from IL-i-treated endothelial cultures also did not promote leukocyte adhesion to untreated monolayers. IL-i induction of endothelial adhesivity was concentration dependent (maximum, 10 U/ml), time dependent (peak, 4-6 h), and reversible, was blocked by cycloheximide (10 gg/ml) or actinomycin D (5 ,gg/ml) but not by acetylsalicylic acid (100 .M), and occurred without detectable endothelial cell damage. IL-1 treatment of SV40-transformed human endothelial cells and dermal fibroblasts did not increase their adhesivity for leukocytes. These data suggest that IL-1 can act selectively on human vascular endothelium to increase its adhesivity for circulating blood leukocytes, and thus to localize leukocyte-vessel wall interactions at sites of inflammation in vivo.

Endothelial leukocyte adhesion molecule-1 (ELAM-1) is an endothelial cell adhesion molecule that allows myeloid cells to attach to the walls of blood vessels adjacent to sites of inflammation. ELAM-1 recognizes the sialyl-Lewis X (sialyl-Lex) determinant, NeuAc alpha 2-3Gal beta 1-4(Fuc alpha 1-3)GlcNAc-, a granulocyte carbohydrate also found on the surface of some tumor cell lines. Binding of myeloid cells to soluble ELAM-1 is inhibited by a monoclonal antibody recognizing sialyl-Lex or by proteins bearing sialyl-Lex, some of which may participate in humoral regulation of myeloid cell adhesion. Stimulated granulocytes also release an inhibitor of ELAM-1 binding that can be selectively adsorbed by monoclonal antibody to sialyl-Lex.