SIGN-R1, a recently discovered C-type lectin expressed at high levels on macrophages within the marginal zone of the spleen, mediates the uptake of dextran polysaccharides by these phagocytes. We now find that encapsulated Streptococcus pneumoniae are rapidly cleared by these macrophages from the bloodstream, and that capture also takes place when different cell lines express SIGN-R1 after transfection. To assess the role of the capsular polysaccharide of S. pneumoniae (CPS) in the interaction of SIGN-R1 with pneumococci, we first studied binding and uptake of serotype 14 CPS in transfected cells. Binding was observed and was of a much higher avidity (3,000-fold) for CPS 14 than dextran. The CPSs from four different serotypes were also cleared by marginal zone macrophages in vivo. To establish a role for SIGN-R1 in this uptake, we selectively down-regulated expression of the lectin by pretreatment of the mice with SIGN-R1 antibodies, including a newly generated hamster monoclonal called 22D1. For several days after this transient knockout, the marginal zone macrophages were unable to take up either CPSs or dextrans. Therefore, marginal zone macrophages in mice have a receptor that interacts with capsular pneumococcal polysaccharides, setting the stage for further studies of the functional consequences of this interaction.T he spleen functions at several points in innate and adaptive immunity. A major innate function is exerted by macrophages that are abundant in vascular regions termed the splenic red pulp, whereas adaptive functions are carried out by B and T lymphocytes, typically located in white pulp nodules. At the junction of each white pulp nodule with the red pulp is a specialized region called the marginal zone, which is composed of several concentric regions (1). Innermost is a ring of macrophages termed marginal metallophils, expressing a hemagglutinin termed sialoadhesin or CD169 (2, 3). Then there is a vascular sinus that receives blood via penetrating small arterial vessels from the white pulp. Surrounding the marginal sinus is a zone composed of large macrophages as well as specialized B lymphocytes (4). Within and surrounding the marginal zone are also dendritic cells (5, 6), possibly in the process of migrating from the blood to the T cell regions of the white pulp.With respect to host defense, the spleen plays a special role during blood-borne infection with encapsulated microorganisms, particularly Streptococcus pneumoniae bacteria (7-12). A critical role of the spleen is the formation of antibodies by marginal zone B cells (13-15), particularly complement-fixing antibodies (16)(17)(18)(19)(20). The role of macrophages in the processes of microbial clearance and resistance and antibody formation to S. pneumoniae needs to be considered (21), particularly given recent data that marginal zone macrophages interact and retain B cells in this region (22). Here we show that marginal zone macrophages express a receptor called SIGN-R1 that is able to bind and internalize the capsular pneumococcal polys...

The marginal zone macrophages of the spleen are implicated in the clearance of polysaccharides, but underlying mechanisms need to be pinpointed. SIGN-R1 is one of five recently identified mouse genes that are homologous to human DC-SIGN and encode a single, external, C-terminal C-type lectin domain. We find that a polyclonal antibody to a specific SIGN-R1 peptide reacts primarily and strongly with a subset of macrophages in the marginal zone of spleen and lymph node medulla. In both sites, SIGN-R1 exists primarily in an aggregated form, resistant to dissociation into monomers upon boiling in SDS under reducing conditions. Upon transfection into three different cell lines, high-mol.-wt forms bearing SIGN-R1 are expressed, as well as reactivity with ER-TR9, a mAb previously described to react selectively with marginal zone macrophages. SIGN-R1-expressing macrophages preferentially sequester dextrans following i.v. injection. Likewise, when phagocytic cells are enriched from spleen and tested in culture, dextran is selectively endocytosed by a subset of very large SIGN-R1(+) cells representing approximately 5% of total released macrophages. Uptake of FITC-dextran by these macrophages in vivo and in vitro is blocked by ER-TR9 and polyclonal anti-SIGN-R1 antibodies. Following transfection with SIGN-R1, cell lines become competent to endocytose dextrans. The dextran localizes primarily to compartments lacking transferrin receptor and the LAMP-1 CD107a panlysosomal antigen. Therefore, SIGN-R1 mediates the uptake of dextran polysaccharides, and it is predominantly expressed in the macrophages of the splenic marginal zone and lymph node medulla.

The neurotransmitter serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT)) is implicated in enhancing inflammatory reactions of skin, lung, and gastrointestinal tract. To determine whether 5-HT acts, in part, through mast cells (MC), we first established that mouse bone marrow-derived MC (mBMMC) and human CD34+-derived MC (huMC) expressed mRNA for multiple 5-HT receptors. We next determined the effect of 5-HT on mouse and human MC degranulation, adhesion, and chemotaxis. We found no evidence that 5-HT degranulates MC or modulates IgE-dependent activation. 5-HT did induce mBMMC and huMC adherence to fibronectin; and immature and mature mBMMC and huMC migration. Chemotaxis was accompanied by actin polymerization. Using receptor antagonists and pertussis toxin, we identified 5-HT1A as the principal receptor mediating the effects of 5-HT on MC. mBMMC from the 5-HT1A receptor knockout mouse (5-HT1AR−/−) did not respond to 5-HT. 5-HT did induce accumulation of MC in the dermis of 5-HT1AR+/+ mice, but not in 5-HT1AR−/− mice. These studies are the first to demonstrate an effect of 5-HT on MC. Furthermore, both mouse and human MC respond to 5-HT through the 5-HT1A receptor. Our data are consistent with the conclusion that 5-HT promotes inflammation by increasing MC at the site of tissue injury.

Low serotonin 1A receptor (5-HT 1A R) binding is a risk factor for anxiety and depression, and deletion of the 5-HT 1A R results in anxiety-like behavior in mice. Here we show that anxiety-like behavior in mice also can be caused, independently of the offspring's own 5-HT 1A R genotype, by a receptor deficit in the mother: a nongenetic transmission of a genetic defect. Some of the nongenetically transmitted anxiety manifestations were acquired prenatally and linked to a delay in dentate gyrus maturation in the ventral hippocampus of the offspring. Both the developmental delay and the anxiety-like phenotype were phenocopied by the genetic inactivation of p16 ink4a encoding a cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor implicated in neuronal precursor differentiation. No maternal 5-HT 1A R genotype-dependent anxiety developed when the strain background was switched from Swiss Webster to C57BL/6, consistent with the increased resilience of this strain to early adverse environment. Instead, all anxiety manifestations were caused by the offspring's own receptor deficiency, indicating that the genetic and nongenetic effects converge to common anxiety manifestations. We propose that 5-HT 1A R deficit represents a dual risk for anxiety and that vulnerability to anxiety associated with genetic 5-HT 1A R deficiency can be transmitted by both genetic and nongenetic mechanisms in a population. Thus, the overall effect of risk alleles can be higher than estimated by traditional genetic assays and may contribute to the relatively high heritability of anxiety and psychiatric disorders in general.genetic risk | heritability | cross-fostering S tudies have identified mutant/polymorphic variants of genes, each with a relatively small contribution to the risk of depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, and other psychiatric diseases. However, demonstrable genetic influences explain only a small fraction of estimated heritability in psychiatric conditions. This "missing heritability" could be caused by a large number of undiscovered alleles or by mechanisms that amplify the effect of risk alleles but are not genetic in nature. We tested the hypothesis that mutant/polymorphic variants can have a larger effect if, besides their purely genetic effect, they have an additional "environmental" effect. For example, gene variants could influence maternal physiology, affecting the developmental program of the offspring, and consequently also increasing the risk for psychopathology. Indeed, adverse prenatal maternal and/or postnatal environment increases vulnerability to various diseases, including psychiatric disorders, in adulthood (1, 2), and one may extrapolate these findings to an abnormal maternal/parental environment related to disease-associated genes/gene variants.One of the few candidate genes whose function has been associated with anxiety and depression encodes the serotonin 1A receptor (5-HT 1A R) (3). Reduced binding or binding potential in the 5-HT 1A R has been linked to posttraumatic stress and panic disorders (3) and depression (4), and a...