Chemokines are a bipartite family of chemotactic proteins that bear the structural hallmark of four cysteine residues, the first two of which are in tandem. The spectrum of action of C-C chemokines, monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1), MCP-2, and MCP-3, in particular, encompasses, in addition to monocytes, other leukocyte populations. Evidence is presented that MCP-1, MCP-2, and MCP-3 are active on natural killer cells. Available information on receptor usage by MCP-1 and related chemokines and signal transduction pathways is reviewed. A better understanding of signaling mechanisms will provide a new basis for therapeutic strategies.

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Ras proteins are small GTPases playing a pivotal role in cell proliferation and differentiation. Their activation depends on the competing action of GTPase activating proteins and guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEF). The properties of two dominant-negative mutants within the catalytic domains of the ras-specific GEF, CDC25Mm , are described. In vitro, the mutant GEF W1056E and GEF T1184E proteins are catalytically inactive, are able to efficiently displace wild-type GEF from p21 ras , and strongly reduce affinity of the nucleotide-free ras⅐GEF complex for the incoming nucleotide, thus resulting in the formation of a stable ras⅐GEF binary complex. Consistent with their in vitro properties, the two mutant GEFs bring about a dramatic reduction in ras-dependent fos-luciferase activity in mouse fibroblasts. The stable ectopic expression of the GEF W1056E mutant in smooth muscle cells effectively reduced growth rate and DNA synthesis with no detectable morphological changes.

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Interleukin 8 (IL-8), a member of the C-X-C branch of the chemokine superfamily, stimulated the breakdown of 1-O-[3H]alkyl-2-acyl-sn- glycero-3-phosphocholine ([3H]EAPC) and the formation of 1-O-[3H]alkyl- 2-acyl-phosphatidic acid ([3H]-EAPA) in human polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) in the presence of cytochalasin B. In addition, the mass of diradyl-PA was increased with similar kinetics. In the presence of ethanol, 1-O-[3H]alkyl-2-acyl-phosphatidylethanol ([3H]EAPEt) was formed at the expense of [3H]EAPA formation, indicating the activation of phospholipase D by the cytokine. The effect was time- and concentration-dependent, reaching a plateau at 30 seconds with the maximally activating concentration of 120 nmol/L IL-8. Preincubation of cells with 1 microgram/mL Bordetella pertussis toxin inhibited the breakdown of [3H]EAPC and [3H]EAPA formation, indicating a role for a pertussis toxin-sensitive guanosine triphosphate-binding protein. Formation of phosphatidic acid (PA) correlated with activation of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase, the oxidative burst enzyme, with both events occurring in the same concentration range. Inhibition of PA formation, by the presence of ethanol, also inhibited the oxidative burst stimulation by IL-8. Pretreatment of PMN with 10 nmol/L platelet-activating factor potentiated both [3H]EAPA accumulation and activation of NADPD oxidase by IL-8. Collectively, these data show that IL-8 stimulates the metabolism of choline-containing phosphoglycerides in human PMN and support a role for PA in the signaling mechanisms used by IL-8 to stimulate PMN function.

MCP-2 and MCP-3 are recently identified members of the Cys-Cys chemokine family with high sequence similarity with MCP-1 (62% and 71%, respectively). The present study was aimed at defining receptor usage and signal transduction pathways of MCP-2 and MCP-3 in human monocytes in comparison with MCP-1. MCP-2 and MCP-3 induced migration of monocytes with a typical bell-shaped curve and maximal response at 10 and 50 ng/ml, respectively. The maximal response elicited by MCP-2 and MCP-3 was lower (approximately 60%) than that of MCP-1. Pertussis toxin (PTox) inhibited the chemotactic activity of MCP-3 and MCP-1 (IC50 = 6.2 and 4.4 ng/ml, respectively), whereas cholera toxin (CTox) had little effect on these two chemokines (IC50 > 1000 ng/ml). In contrast, MCP-2-induced chemotaxis was blocked by CTox (IC50 = 75 ng/ml) and relatively unaffected by PTox. MCP-3 and MCP-1 induced a rapid increase in intracellular Ca2+ concentration, whereas MCP-2, in the range of concentrations active on chemotaxis, did not. MCP-1-, MCP-2-, and MCP-3-induced chemotactic responses were blocked by C-I, a serine/threonine kinase inhibitor, and by genistein, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor, with the MCP-2 response being more sensitive than those induced by MCP-1 and MCP-3. MCP-1 and MCP-3 rapidly induced arachidonic acid release whereas MCP-2 was ineffective. MCP-1 and MCP-3 cross-desensitized with each other in terms of Ca2+ transients and displaced with a comparable efficiency labeled MCP-1 from human monocytes. On the other hand, MCP-2 did not cross-desensitize with MCP-1 and MCP-3 and only partially (20%) displaced labeled MCP-1. Thus, in spite of high sequence similarity, MCP-2 differed considerably from MCP-1 and MCP-3 in terms of sensitivity to CTox and PTox, arachidonate and calcium mobilization, and capacity to compete for labeled MCP-1.

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