Articles |
120-kD Ox-LDL Binding Protein With Strong Identity to CD68
From the Pharma Division, Preclinical Research, HoffmannLa Roche Ltd, Basel, Switzerland (M.A. van der K., E.M. von der M., O.H.M.), and the Division of Biopharmaceutics, Leiden/Amsterdam Center for Drug Research, University of Leiden, Leiden, the Netherlands (M.A. van der K., J.K.K., A. van V., Th.J.C. van B.).
Correspondence to Dr O.H. Morand, c/o HoffmannLa Roche Ltd, Pharma Division, Preclinical Research, PRPV, B68/R334, Grenzacherstrasse 124, CH-4070 Basel, Switzerland. E-mail olivier.morand{at}roche.com
| Abstract |
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120 kD that selectively binds Ox-LDL. Second, we
tested whether this
120-kD Ox-LDL binding protein had any relation
to CD68, the human homologue of macrosialin. The following evidence was
obtained to support the role of CD68 as an Ox-LDL binding protein: (1)
Ligand blots with Ox-LDL and Western blots with Ki-M6, an antihuman
CD68 monoclonal antibody, revealed a single band with a molecular
weight of
120 kD under reducing and nonreducing condition. (2) The
expression patterns of the
120-kD Ox-LDL binding membrane protein
and of CD68 paralleled each other during
monocyte/macrophage differentiation. (3) Digestion with
N-glycosidase F demonstrated that both CD68 and the Ox-LDL
binding protein are glycoproteins; both showed a similar
shift of
18 kD in apparent molecular weight. (4) CD68, probed with
monoclonal antibody Ki-M6, and the
120-kD Ox-LDL binding protein
were coprecipitated with EBM11, another anti-CD68 antibody. About 5000
molecules of CD68 are expressed on the cell surface of human
macrophages. Ligation of 125IKi-M6 to cells leads
to its internalization and degradation. This capacity would be
sufficient to allow for the specific uptake and degradation of Ox-LDL.
Taken together, these data support a role for CD68 as a specific Ox-LDL
binding protein in human monocytederived macrophages.
Key Words: atherosclerosis macrophages oxidized LDL CD68
| Introduction |
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First, scavenger receptor type A, formerly the Ac-LDL receptor, was
described at the molecular level and characterized as a receptor that
binds and promotes internalization of Ox-LDL.7 This
receptor can account for 30% to 70% of the total uptake of Ox-LDL by
macrophages.8 9 10 11 Other membrane proteins have been
described in macrophages that could also possibly interact with
Ox-LDL, such as the Fc-
RII-B2 receptor,12 CD36 and its
mouse homologue,13 the closely related
SR-B1,14 and mouse macrosialin.15 The role of
Fc-
RII-B2 in the uptake of Ox-LDL is unclear, since monoclonal
antibodies against Fc-
RII-B2 do not block internalization of Ox-LDL
by macrophages.13 SR-B1 was recently identified as
a receptor for HDL, thus allowing for the selective uptake of HDL
cholesteryl esters.16 Several studies have examined the
contribution of CD36 to Ox-LDL binding and uptake in
macrophages. 125IOx-LDL binding and degradation
are partially blocked by monoclonal antibodies against CD36 in human
monocytederived macrophages17 and THP-1
cells.13 No measurable internalization or degradation of
Ox-LDL could be detected in CHO cells after stable transfection with
human CD36 cDNA, although the binding of Ox-LDL to these cells was
blocked by a monoclonal antibody against CD36.18 Specific
Ox-LDL binding to monocyte-derived macrophages from
CD36-deficient subjects is only
60% that of control.19
Importantly, CD36 has been resolved from the Ox-LDL binding activity
during purification of a 94- to 97-kD Ox-LDL binding protein from mouse
macrophages.18 The peptide sequence
analysis of tryptic fragments from this 94- to 97-kD protein
revealed that it is identical to mouse macrosialin.15 The
latter was recently characterized as a receptor for Ox-LDL in mouse
macrophages.20 On the basis of its amino acid
sequence, mouse macrosialin is 72% identical and 81% similar to human
CD68.21 CD68, with a molecular weight of
120 kD, is an
integral membrane glycoprotein predominantly expressed in
tissue macrophages and some tumor cells.22 CD68
has a polypeptide backbone of
35 kD. The largest contribution to the
mass of mature CD68 comes from O-linked and N-linked
glycans.23 CD68 is routinely used as a macrophage
marker in immunohistochemistry, but its exact function remains to be
established.
In the present work we identified an
120-kD membrane protein
from human monocytederived macrophages that specifically
binds Ox-LDL and shares characteristics with CD68. This protein was
defined as a selective Ox-LDL binding protein, since it does not bind
Ac-LDL in contrast to the class A scavenger receptor, which does bind
both types of modified lipoproteins. Immunoprecipitation from cell
lysates with EBM11, an anti-CD68 monoclonal antibody, allowed for the
isolation of an
120-kD protein that binds Ox-LDL and is recognized
by Ki-M6, another monoclonal antibody raised against CD68. Together our
data support a role for CD68 as an Ox-LDL binding protein in human
monocytederived macrophages. In addition, CD68 was shown to
be expressed on the cell surface of human macrophages to such
an extent that it could account for the specific uptake of Ox-LDL by
macrophages.
| Methods |
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-D-mannopyranoside, aprotinin from bovine lung,
and leupeptin were purchased from Fluka. N-Glycosidase F (EC
3.2.2.18; 3.5.1.52, protease-, sialidase-, endoglycosidase F,
ß-galactosidase, ß-glucosidase,
-, and ß-mannosidase,
ß-N-acetylhexosaminidase, and
-L-fucosidasefree), O-glycosidase (EC
3.2.1.97), n-octyl-ß-D-glucoside, and DTT were
purchased from Boehringer Mannheim. BCA reagent, CHAPS, and
IodoGen were from Pierce. All other reagents and solvents of the
highest purity available were purchased from Fluka or Sigma.
Antibodies
Mouse IgG1 and goat anti-mouse IgGagarose were purchased from
Sigma. Human IgG1 was obtained from The Binding Site. Mouse anti-human
CD68 monoclonal antibodies Ki-M6 and Ki-M7 (both IgG1) were from
Biomedicals. Mouse anti-human CD68 monoclonal antibodies EBM11 (IgG1)
and PG-M1 (IgG3) were from Dako. Polyclonal rabbit anti-human
apolipoprotein B100 antibody was from Calbiochem. HRP-conjugated goat
anti-rabbit antibody and HRP-conjugated goat anti-mouse antibody were
from Bio-Rad Laboratories. Mouse anti-human CD36 monoclonal antibody
FA6-152, mouse anti-human CD16 monoclonal antibody 3G8, and mouse
anti-human CD32 monoclonal antibody 2E1 were obtained from
Biodesign International.
Isolation of Human LDL, Iodination, and Chemical
Modification
Plasma from the blood of healthy volunteers collected into tubes
containing EDTA were obtained at the Blutspendezentrum in Basel and
stored at -20°C. LDL was isolated by sequential
ultracentrifugation at a density of
1.019<d<1.063 g/mL.24 Prior to
chemical modification, LDL was iodinated with
125I at a specific activity of 250 to 400 counts per minute
per nanogram apolipoprotein by using the ICl
procedure.25 26 LDL and 125I-LDL were
acetylated by repeated additions of acetic
anhydride.27 LDL and 125I-LDL were oxidized in
the presence of 10 µmol/L Cu2+ as described
previously.28 Modification of LDL and 125I-LDL
was routinely verified by agarose electrophoresis on the Paragon
Electrophoretic System (Beckman), and Rf values
were 0.12±0.01 (n=4), 0.44±0.01 (n=4), 0.48±0.02 (n=5), 0.41±0.02
(n=3), and 0.46±0.02 (n=3) for LDL, Ac-LDL, Ox-LDL,
125IAc-LDL, and 125IOx-LDL, respectively.
All lipoprotein preparations were sterilized by filtration through a
0.45-µm membrane, stored at 4°C in the presence of 40
µmol/L BHT, and used within 3 weeks. Native LDL was already
protected against oxidation with BHT during the isolation and was used
within 1 week after preparation.
Iodination of Monoclonal Antibody Ki-M6
Albumin-free Ki-M6 (156 µg solubilized in 50 µL PBS
without Ca2+ or Mg2+ [PBS--])
was iodinated in an IodoGen-coated tube during an
incubation of 5 minutes on ice. Iodinated Ki-M6 and unbound
125I were separated by gel filtration over a PD-10 column,
which had been preequilibrated with
70 mL PBS--
containing 10 mmol/L NaI and 0.05% NaN3.
Radiolabeled Ki-M6 was eluted with PBS--/0.05%
NaN3 and concentrated using Amicon-30 filter units. The
specific activity of 125IKi-M6 was 4800 cpm/ng protein,
whereas 1.1% of the radioactivity was TCA soluble.
Culture of Human Macrophages
Fresh, EDTA-treated leukocyte concentrates from the blood of
healthy volunteers (
40 mL) were obtained at the Blutspendezentrum in
Basel and diluted with 40 mL PBS-- containing 0.2% BSA,
pH 7.4. Mononuclear cells were isolated by Ficoll-Paque
centrifugation.29 30 Monocytes were seeded
at a density of
5x105 cells in 48-well plates (Costar)
in M199 medium containing 10% human serum. After washing out the cell
debris and lymphocytes, the remaining adherent cell population
consisted of >95% monocytes as judged by nonspecific esterase
staining.30 Long-term culture of monocytes resulted in
extensive spreading of cells, increased phagocytic activity, and
elevated scavenger receptor expression (especially of scavenger
receptor type II), which are features typical of mature
macrophages.30 31 Human monocytederived
macrophages were used after 7 to 8 days of differentiation and
are referred to as human macrophages.
Detergent Solubilization of Human Macrophages
The following procedure was performed at 4°C with precooled
solutions. About 1 to 5x107 cells were washed in PBS with
Ca2+ and Mg2+ (PBS++). Cellular
proteins were solubilized on ice for 1 to 2 hours in 300 to 500 µL of
1% Triton X-100 buffered with 20 mmol/L HEPES (pH 7.5)
containing 150 mmol/L NaCl, 1.5 mmol/L
MgCl2 · 6H2O, 1 mmol/L EGTA,
10% glycerol, and a protease inhibitor mixture (1
mmol/L EDTA, 10 µg/mL aprotinin, and 10 µg/mL
leupeptin). Insoluble material was removed by
centrifugation in an Eppendorf centrifuge at
15 000g for 5 minutes. Protein content of the preparation
was measured using the BCA reagent.
Preparation of Macrophage Membranes and
Solubilization
For radioactive ligand blotting experiments, cell membranes were
first prepared from human macrophages cultured in
10-cm-diameter dishes and then solubilized in 40 mmol/L
n-octyl-ß-D-glucoside.32
Ligand Blotting
Solubilized proteins were separated on a 7.5%
polyacrylamide gel under nonreducing conditions as described by
Laemmli.33 Proteins were then electroblotted at 150 mA
for 3 hours to nitrocellulose membranes by using the Mini Trans-Blot
Cell System (Bio-Rad). Cooling units of the system were changed every
hour. To prevent nonspecific binding of the ligands, the nitrocellulose
membranes were incubated overnight at 4°C in a solution containing
50 mmol/L Tris, 5% (wt/vol) skim milk, 90
mmol/L NaCl, 2 mmol/L CaCl2, and 0.05%
NaN3, pH 7.4. Ligand blotting was performed with 10
µg/mL unlabeled or 7.5 µg/mL iodinated
LDL, Ac-LDL, or Ox-LDL in the absence or presence of different
competitors in incubation buffer containing 50 mmol/L Tris,
1% (wt/vol) skim milk, 90 mmol/L NaCl, and 2
mmol/L CaCl2. After incubation at room temperature
for 90 minutes, the nitrocellulose membranes were washed 4x for 10
minutes each in the incubation buffer and again 4x for 10 minutes each
in PBS--/1% BSA, pH 7.4. 125I-LDL,
125IAc-LDL or, 125IOx-LDL bound to the
nitrocellulose was detected by autoradiography on XAR-5
film after 7 to 14 days of exposure.
In nonradioactive ligand blots LDL, Ac-LDL, or Ox-LDL was probed with rabbit polyclonal antiapolipoprotein B100 antiserum (100-fold dilution in PBS--/1% BSA) at 25°C for 1.5 hours. Next, a secondary HRP-conjugated goat anti-rabbit IgG antibody (7500-fold dilution in PBS--/1% BSA) was coupled to the primary antibody at 25°C for 1 hour. Detection of the secondary antibody was performed by enhanced chemiluminescence (ECL kit). In separate control dot-blot experiments, the polyclonal antiapolipoprotein B100 showed identical cross-reactivity toward LDL, Ac-LDL, and Ox-LDL.
Western Blotting
Separately, strips of nitrocellulose membranes corresponding to
those prepared for ligand blotting were used for Western blotting.
After an overnight incubation at 4°C in blocking buffer containing
PBS--/1% BSA and 0.05% NaN3, the strips
were incubated at room temperature with 1 µg/mL Ki-M6 in
PBS--/1% BSA for 1 to 2 hours. After extensive washing
in PBS--/1% BSA containing 0.05% Tween-20, bands were
detected using HRP-conjugated goat anti-mouse IgG antiserum (7500-fold
dilution in PBS--/1% BSA) and enhanced
chemiluminescence.
Glycosidase Digestion
Twenty micrograms of protein from cell lysates of human
macrophages containing the protease inhibitor
cocktail were mixed with buffers and reagents at the following final
concentrations: 0.2 mol/L sodium phosphate buffer, pH 7.4;
2 mmol/L EDTA; and 6 U/mL N-glycosidase F or 50
mU/mL O-glycosidase in a total volume of 30 µL. Digestions
were performed at 37°C for 2 hours and terminated by adding an equal
volume of concentrated Laemmli buffer. The samples were heated at
95°C for 10 minutes and directly applied onto a 7.5%
polyacrylamide gel. Control digestions were performed in the
absence of glycosidases.
Immunoprecipitation
Immunoprecipitations with Ki-M6 were carried out essentially as
previously described34 with some modifications as follows.
All buffers contained 1 µg/mL leupeptin, 1 µg/mL
pepstatin, and 2 mmol/L PMSF. Cell lysates were prepared in
20 mmol/L Tris, 0.5% Triton X-100, 2% Nonidet P-40,
1 mmol/L CaCl2, and 1 mmol/L
MnCl2, pH 7.5. The solubilized proteins (1.45 mg/mL
in 2 mL) were applied onto a 1-mL packed lentil lectin Sepharose
column. After additional washes, the specifically bound material was
eluted with 1 mol/L
-methyl mannoside, 20 mmol/L
Tris, and 1% Nonidet P-40, pH 7.5, and dialyzed overnight in 20
mmol/L Tris and 0.5% Nonidet P-40, pH 7.5, at 4°C. Prior to
the immunoprecipitation, the dialyzed, prepurified lysates were
precleared twice with goat anti-mouse IgGagarose at 4°C for 45
minutes. The immunoprecipitation was carried out at 4°C by addition
of 15 µg EBM11 to 100 µL of precleared lysate. After an incubation
of 2 hours, 20 µL of packed goat anti-mouse IgGagarose was added,
and the incubation proceeded for another hour. Immunoprecipitates were
washed in 20 mmol/L Tris containing 1% Nonidet P-40, pH
7.4 (5x 5 minutes each in a total volume of 1.6 mL washing buffer),
boiled in DTT-containing sample buffer prior to SDS-PAGE, and
electroblotted onto nitrocellulose membranes. Supernatants were
concentrated four-fold by using Microcon-30 microconcentrators (Amicon)
prior to SDS-PAGE and electroblotting. Control immunoprecipitation
experiments were performed in the absence of primary antibody EBM11 and
processed further as above.
Binding of 125IKi-M6 and 125IOx-LDL to
Human Macrophages
Human macrophages were incubated with 300 µL of medium
M1992% human serum albumin (pH 7.4) containing increasing
concentrations of 125IKi-M6 or 125IOx-LDL.
After 4 hours of incubation at 4°C, unbound radioactivity was removed
by two washes with ice-cold PBS++ containing 0.2% BSA,
followed by two washes with ice-cold PBS++, pH 7.4. Bound
radioactivity was measured as previously described.30
Nonspecific binding was defined as the binding of radiolabeled ligand
in the presence of excess unlabeled Ki-M6 (1 µmol/L) or
excess unlabeled Ox-LDL (200 µg/mL=67 nmol/L). The
affinity constant (Kd) and the maximal binding
capacity (Bmax) were calculated by direct-fitting
analysis using LIGAND software.35
Cell Association and Degradation of 125IKi-M6 and
125IOx-LDL in Human Macrophages
In competition experiments, 4 nmol/L
125IKi-M6 was incubated in medium M1992% human serum
albumin at 37°C for 4 hours. Cell association and degradation
were assessed as described.30 36 Degradation was defined
as the TCA-soluble, nonchloroform-extractable radioactivity of the
medium. Nonspecific cell association and degradation of Ki-M6 was
defined as the association or degradation of the radiolabeled ligand
measured in the presence of 20 nmol/L unlabeled Ki-M6. Cell
association and degradation of 125IOx-LDL (1.7
nmol/L=5 µg/mL) were measured as
described.30 36 Nonspecific cell association and
degradation of Ox-LDL was defined as the association or degradation of
the radiolabeled ligand measured in the presence of 33 nmol/L
(=100 µg/mL) unlabeled Ox-LDL. Control incubations were
performed in wells containing no cells, and the corresponding values
were subtracted from all experimental values.
| Results |
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120-kD Membrane Protein
From Human Macrophages
120 kD (Fig 1A
120-kD
protein or to the scavenger receptor type A.37 38 A 220-
to 240-kD Ox-LDL binding protein could be detected in 14 of 20
ligand-blot experiments performed with cell lysates from different
macrophage preparations. The apparent relative contribution of
the
120-kD protein versus the 220- to 240-kD protein was not
affected when other detergents, such as CHAPS, Triton X-100, and
n-octyl-ß-D-glucoside, were used to solubilize
the macrophages.
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CD36 has been proposed as a binding protein for Ox-LDL in rat and mouse
macrophages.13 17 Hence, Western blots with
monoclonal mouse anti-human CD36 antibody FA6-152 followed by ECL
detection revealed a protein band with a molecular weight of
90 kD
(data not shown), ie, significantly lower than the
120-kD Ox-LDL
binding protein, suggesting that the
120-kD Ox-LDL binding protein
cannot be CD36. Interestingly, it was found that COS cells transfected
with CD36 exhibited an Ox-LDL binding activity that was inhibited by
monoclonal antibody FA6-152.39 This discrepancy with our
data might be due to poor recognition of Ox-LDL by CD36 in ligand
blotting, as opposed to cell binding experiments.
To further characterize the
120-kD protein, ligand blotting
experiments were performed with 125IOx-LDL,
125IAc-LDL, and 125I-LDL (Fig 1C
).
125IOx-LDL exhibited a binding activity of 90 to 95 ng
apolipoprotein per milligram protein to the
120-kD protein (lane 1),
whereas the binding of 125IAc-LDL (lane 2) and
125I-LDL (lane 3) was
15 times less. No binding of
125IAc-LDL or 125IOx-LDL could be measured
at 220 to 240 kD, most probably because of insufficient sensitivity of
the method.
The ability of native and Ox-LDL to compete for the binding of
125IOx-LDL to the
120-kD protein was analyzed
(Fig 2
). As expected, LDL did not
significantly inhibit the binding of 125IOx-LDL to the
120-kD protein. In contrast, LDL oxidized for only 1 hour inhibited
the 125IOx-LDL ligation by
30%. Further oxidation of
LDL led to increased blockade of the binding of
125IOx-LDL to the
120-kD protein, ie, >50%
inhibition with LDL oxidized for 20 hours.
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The binding characteristics of the
120-kD membrane protein for
Ox-LDL were determined by incubating the blots with increasing
concentrations of 125IOx-LDL, followed by excision and
direct counting of the radioactivity. Fig 3
shows that 125IOx-LDL
bound to the
120-kD membrane protein in a saturable manner, with a
Kd of
7 nmol/L (
23 µg/mL)
and a Bmax of
17 fmol/mg protein (
52
ng/mg protein). Taken together, these data suggest that this
120-kD membrane protein specifically binds Ox-LDL in a saturable
manner and that minimal oxidation is sufficient to produce an LDL
particle that is recognized by the protein.
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Recognition of a Human Macrophage
120-kD Protein by
Ki-M6, an Anti-CD68 Monoclonal Antibody
Macrosialin, the mouse homologue of human CD68, was recently
characterized as an Ox-LDL binding protein in mouse
macrophages.15 CD68 is found predominantly in
macrophages, and its reported molecular weight is
120 kD,
ie, almost identical to the molecular weight of the Ox-LDL binding
protein that we identified in human monocytederived
macrophages. On the basis of this set of data, we hypothesized
that the
120-kD Ox-LDL binding protein and CD68 might be identical.
To test this hypothesis, we performed parallel Western blot experiments
with Ki-M6 and ligand-blot experiments with Ox-LDL. Cell lysates were
submitted to electrophoresis as before. After electroblotting, the
nitrocellulose membrane of each lane was cut vertically in half. One
half of each strip was incubated with 1 µg/mL Ki-M6 and the
other half with 10 µg/mL Ox-LDL. Because of its high
sensitivity, the ECL detection method was used here and in subsequent
experiments. Fig 4
shows that under
nonreducing conditions, Ki-M6 cross-reacted with a protein with a
molecular weight of
120 kD (lane 1), identical to that of the Ox-LDL
binding protein (lane 3). Control incubations, in which (1) Ki-M6 was
omitted (lane 2), (2) an irrelevant mouse IgG was used (data not
shown), and (3) Ox-LDL was omitted during ligand blotting (lane 4),
demonstrated the specificity of the immunostaining.
Since Ki-M6 showed no cross-reactivity to any other protein, it is
likely that the antigen that is recognized at
120 kD is CD68. Both
120-kD bands identified by Ox-LDL binding and Ki-M6 Western blotting
remained unaffected by DTT reduction. Other anti-CD68 antibodies, such
as Ki-M7, EBM11, and PG-M1, showed weaker signals (Fig 5
), and Ki-M6 was therefore selected for
subsequent experiments.
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CD68 and the
120-kD Ox-LDL Binding Protein Are
Glycoproteins
As a glycoprotein, CD68 is sensitive to
glycosidase digestion.23 Hence, we determined whether the
120-kD Ox-LDL binding protein was also effected by glycosidase
digestion. A 2-hour treatment of detergent lysates with
N-glycosidase F resulted in an increase in electrophoretic
mobility very similar for both CD68 and the
120-kD Ox-LDL binding
protein and in broadening of both bands (Fig 6
). The reduction in apparent molecular
weight amounted to
18 kD for both CD68 and the Ox-LDL binding
protein. In control 2-hour incubations in which
N-glycosidase F was omitted, no change in electrophoretic
mobility was observed. O-Glycosidase treatment of lysates
did not affect the electrophoretic mobility of both CD68 and the Ox-LDL
binding protein (data not shown).
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CD68 and the
120-kD Ox-LDL Binding Protein Levels During
Monocyte-Macrophage Differentiation
Freshly isolated monocytes expressed low amounts of CD68 and low
amounts of the
120-kD Ox-LDL binding protein as well (Fig 7
). During differentiation of monocytes
into macrophages, expression of CD68 as well as that of the
120-kD Ox-LDL binding protein was dramatically increased (16-fold
increase compared with expression levels in monocytes). In addition,
the intensity of high-molecular-weight bands that bound Ox-LDL were
increased but were not cross-reactive with Ki-M6. The highest level of
expression was achieved after 8 days of differentiation, after which
time the binding activity of Ki-M6 and Ox-LDL declined. Thus, the time
course of CD68 expression paralleled that of the Ox-LDL binding
protein during differentiation of monocytes to macrophages for
as long as 21 days in culture.
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Immunoprecipitation of the Ox-LDL Binding Protein With Monoclonal
Antibody EBM11
The above data, together with data from the
literature,15 suggest that CD68 and the
120-kD Ox-LDL
binding protein might be the same molecular entity. To further
substantiate this assumption, immunoprecipitation experiments were
performed with antibodies to CD68, and precipitated proteins were
tested for their ability to bind Ox-LDL. Repeated attempts to
immunoprecipitate CD68 from human macrophage lysates or
prepurified lysate preparations with Ki-M6 failed. Another monoclonal
antibody, EBM11, has been reported to immunoprecipitate CD68
efficiently.34 Although the latter antibody did not
provide a clear signal on Western blots from human macrophage
lysates (Fig 5
), we performed immunoprecipitation experiments with
EBM11 according to the method of Micklem et al,34 which
was slightly modified and optimized for low amounts of proteins. Fig 8
shows that the immunoprecipitate
obtained using EBM11 yielded an
120-kD protein that was recognized
by Ki-M6 (lane 1) and exhibited strong Ox-LDL binding activity (lane
2). No bands were detected when Ki-M6 and Ox-LDL were omitted during
Western and ligand blotting, thus demonstrating the specificity of the
immunostaining (data not shown). The band found at
50 kD resulted from cross-reactivity of the secondary HRP-conjugated
antibody with reduced EBM11. Prior to SDS-PAGE, the supernatant of the
immunoprecipitation with EBM11 was concentrated four times. Low amounts
of the
120-kD Ox-LDL binding protein were found in this concentrated
supernatant (lane 4), even though there was no protein cross-reactive
to Ki-M6 (lane 3). This Ox-LDL binding activity in the supernatant may
have resulted from incomplete immunoprecipitation or from a CD68
subpopulation that binds Ox-LDL but is not recognized by Ki-M6. Another
Ox-LDL binding protein that colocalizes with CD68 cannot be entirely
excluded. In addition, the sensitivity of CD68 detection with Ki-M6
might be less than that for Ox-LDL. When EBM11 was omitted during the
procedure, the immunoprecipitate contained no protein cross-reactive to
Ki-M6 (lane 5), and no Ox-LDL binding activity at
120 kD (lane 6) or
at any other molecular weight. In contrast, the supernatant from the
control immunoprecipitation performed in the absence of EBM11 yielded
all the Ki-M6 cross-reactive protein (lane 7) as well as all of the
Ox-LDL binding activity at
120 kD (lane 8). These data strongly
suggest that CD68, immunoprecipitated with EBM11 and probed with Ki-M6,
and the ~120-kD Ox-LDL binding protein are the same molecular
entity.
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Cell Surface Expression of CD68 and its Uptake in Human
Macrophages
Although CD68 is associated with cellular membranes, it is not
clear whether it is expressed at the cell surface, even in small
amounts, to mediate internalization of Ox-LDL. So far, macrosialin and
CD68 are thought to be localized mainly in endosomal/lysosomal
structures.40 41 Electron microscopy and flow cytometry
showed only low amounts of macrosialin and CD68 on the cell
surface,20 42 thus raising doubts about a potential role
for CD68 in mediating binding and uptake of Ox-LDL. Ox-LDL is not such
a convenient ligand to use to resolve this question because it is also
a ligand for other cell-surface receptors such as scavenger receptor
type A. To circumvent this difficulty, we substituted Ox-LDL with
radiolabeled Ki-M6 and applied the antibody to human
macrophages under various conditions to determine whether it
bound to the cell surface and whether it was processed
intracellularly.
Human monocytederived macrophages were incubated with
increasing concentrations of 125IKi-M6 at 4°C for 4
hours, after which time specifically bound radioactivity was measured.
Human macrophages exhibited saturable binding for
125IKi-M6 (Fig 9
).
Analysis of the binding data revealed that one high-affinity
binding site was involved, with a Kd of 8.2±2.1
nmol/L and a Bmax of 87±5 fmol/mg protein
(Table
). Coincubation of
125IKi-M6 with blocking anti-Fc receptor antibodies or
with excess human IgG did not affect 125IKi-M6 binding
(data not shown), suggesting that the Fc receptors were not involved
and that CD68 was solely responsible for the binding of
125IKi-M6. Assuming that one antibody binds one molecule
of CD68 and considering that 106 human macrophages
represent 0.1 mg protein (data not shown), a single human
macrophage would express
5000 molecules of CD68 at the cell
surface. Binding of 125IOx-LDL to human
macrophages occurred with a Kd of
7.3±3.8 nmol/L and a Bmax of 211±3 fmol/mg
protein (Table 1
). Under the conditions used, binding of
125IOx-LDL would be mediated by CD68 as well as by other
receptors, eg, scavenger receptor type A.
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To verify that cell-surface expression of CD68 was not an artifact
derived from nonviable and lysed cells that were exposing antigen of
intracellular origin, we determined whether binding of Ki-M6 was
actively coupled to internalization and lysosomal degradation.
Internalization and degradation do not occur in nonviable cells. Cell
association and degradation were measured at a nonsaturating
concentration of 4 nmol/L of 125IKi-M6 at 37°C
(Fig 10A
). Cell association was
efficiently coupled to degradation: during a 4-hour incubation, 91±3
fmol 125IKi-M6/mg protein became associated to these
cells while
6 times more was degraded (525±19 fmol/mg
protein). A fivefold excess of unlabeled Ki-M6 blocked both cell
association and degradation of 125IKi-M6 by 66% and
79%, respectively. Consistent with the binding data at 4°C,
excess IgG had no effect on either cell association or degradation of
125IKi-M6, thus showing that 125IKi-M6
uptake and degradation were not mediated by Fc receptors (data not
shown). When 125IKi-M6 was coincubated with 100
µmol/L chloroquine, a lysosomotropic agent, degradation was
markedly inhibited while cell association increased by 70%.
Chloroquine and other weak bases are known to increase the pH of
endosomes and lysosomes and interfere with receptor recycling
and ligand degradation.43 44 45 Under identical conditions, a
20-fold excess of unlabeled Ox-LDL blocked both cell association and
degradation of 125IOx-LDL by 67% and 86%, respectively
(Fig 10B
). Similarly, chloroquine inhibited the degradation of
125IOx-LDL by 80% while its association almost doubled.
Taken together, these data strongly suggest that CD68 is expressed at
the surface of human macrophages, with the potential to
internalize substrates such as Ox-LDL from the extracellular space into
the cells followed by lysosomal degradation.
|
| Discussion |
|---|
|
|
|---|
120-kD membrane protein that
specifically binds Ox-LDL. In comparison, the binding of
125IAc-LDL and 125I-LDL to this protein was
very weak. This protein might in fact correspond to an
120-kD
membrane Ox-LDL binding protein previously found in phorbol myristate
acetatetreated THP-1 cells.18 We propose that human
macrophage CD68 and this
120-kD Ox-LDL binding protein are
identical on the basis of the following data: (1) Under our conditions,
both Ox-LDL and Ki-M6, an anti-CD68 antibody, recognize almost
exclusively one protein with the same molecular weight of
120 kD
under reducing and nonreducing conditions. (2) CD68 expression and
expression of the
120-kD Ox-LDL binding protein follow a similar
time course during monocyte/macrophage differentiation. (3)
CD68 and the Ox-LDL binding protein are glycoproteins whose
apparent molecular weights are reduced to a similar extent after
N-glycosidase F treatment. (4) CD68, probed with monoclonal
antibody Ki-M6, and the
120-kD Ox-LDL binding protein are
coprecipitated with EBM11, another anti-CD68 antibody. However, Ki-M6
and Ox-LDL would not share the same binding domain on the
120-kD
protein, as evidenced by the absence of direct cross-competition
between Ox-LDL and Ki-M6 for binding to this protein. It was also found
that (1) Ki-M6 binds to cultured human macrophages in a
saturable manner, (2) Ki-M6 binding is not mediated by Fc-receptors,
and (3) Ki-M6 binding to human macrophages is coupled to
internalization and lysosomal degradation. We have calculated that
5000 CD68 molecules are expressed on the surface of human
macrophages. This compares with 4000 to 8000 CD68 molecules per
cell, expressed at the surface of phorbol myristate acetatetreated
THP-1 cells.20 Consistently the total number of
Ox-LDL binding sites at the surface of human monocytederived
macrophages is
120 000, of which
4000 are selective
Ox-LDL binding sites that do not bind Ac-LDL.30 Assuming
that one CD68 molecule binds one Ox-LDL particle, we may speculate that
CD68 is expressed at the cell surface in amounts sufficient to account
for the specific interaction with Ox-LDL. Binding of radiolabeled Ki-M6
to human macrophages was actively coupled to internalization
and lysosomal degradation, thus showing that CD68 indeed has the
potential to process ligands from the extracellular space into cells,
followed by lysosomal degradation. Therefore, although a major part of
CD68 would be intracellular,20 40 41 small but significant
amounts of the protein would be present at the cell surface,
mediating the uptake and degradation of Ox-LDL as suggested recently
for THP-1 cells.20 Rapid recycling of CD68 between
endosomes and the cell surface could then substantially contribute to
the accumulation of Ox-LDLderived cholesterol in
macrophages.
CD68 expression and Ox-LDL binding activity increased during the
initial phase of differentiation and declined to near-basal levels
after prolonged differentiation. Eischen et al46
demonstrated that CD68 expression measured with EBM11, Ki-M6, and Ki-M7
increased up to 7 days of differentiation but declined thereafter.
Little is known about CD68 expression and scavenger receptor expression
in human macrophages after prolonged culturing for up to 3
weeks. Geng et al31 measured increasing scavenger receptor
expression on human macrophages early in their differentiation
until
3 days, whereas van Lenten et al47 showed
increased scavenger receptor expression until day 7 of differentiation.
Maturation of macrophages is associated with a continuous
change of antigen expression associated with functional
alterations.46 Accordingly, a decrease in CD68 expression
and Ox-LDL binding activity could be the functional consequence of this
maturation.
In resident murine peritoneal macrophages, macrosialin, the
mouse homologue of CD68, is expressed at low levels in a glycosylated
form that does not bind wheat germ agglutinin or peanut agglutinin.
Upon stimulation of these cells with inflammatory agents, macrosialin
is dramatically upregulated and differently "decorated" with
N-linked and O-linked sugar residues as well as
with poly-N-acetyllactosamine structures, resulting in a
highly glycosylated protein that then binds the aforementioned
lectins.48 Such regulatory mechanisms of CD68 have not yet
been examined in human macrophages, and it would be of interest
to test whether intracellular CD68 can be translocated to the cell
surface in response to cytokines or other stimuli, similar to
the
95-kD protein that is upregulated in rabbit aortic foam cells
compared with nonfoam cells.18 The cDNA for CD68 was
sequenced by Holness and Simmons23 in the early 1990s. On
the basis of sequence and domain homologies, CD68 belongs to the family
of lamp/lgp proteins, which are involved in trafficking of vesicles
between the plasma membrane and lysosomes.49 50 51
The cytoplasmic tail of CD68 is relatively short but contains an amino
acid sequence essential for lysosomal targeting, suggesting a role for
CD68 in antigen presentation and processing, whereas the
glycan residues of CD68 may serve as a protective sheet against the
numerous proteases present in lysosomes.
In conclusion, our data strongly support a role for CD68 as a specific Ox-LDL binding protein in human macrophages expressed in part at the cell surface. Our observation is in line with the original proposal of Ramprasad et al,15 that macrosialin is an Ox-LDL binding protein in mouse macrophages. A blocking anti-CD68 antibody would be very useful to determine to what extent CD68 contributes to recognition of Ox-LDL in intact cells and possibly to its internalization and degradation. Another aspect would be to assess whether CD68 expression is affected when cholesterol accumulates in human macrophages and to determine its role in the pathophysiological process of atherosclerosis.
| Selected Abbreviations and Acronyms |
|---|
|
| Acknowledgments |
|---|
Received September 24, 1996; accepted March 21, 1997.
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