This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Black, C M Articles by Goldstein, E Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Black, C M Articles by Goldstein, E

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Infect Immun. 1985 February; 47(2): 375-383

Intracellular acid phosphatase content and ability of different macrophage populations to kill Nocardia asteroides.

ABSTRACT

It has been reported that the activity of lysosomal acid phosphatase decreases inversely with numbers of ingested virulent Nocardia spp. in normal murine peritoneal and alveolar macrophages. These studies suggested that this relationship correlated with the effectiveness of these macrophage populations in killing Nocardia asteroides. Experiments were designed to determine if acid phosphatase activity is affected by infection with N. asteroides in four different macrophage populations isolated from normal and nocardia-immunized mice. Macrophages were also tested simultaneously for their ability to kill N. asteroides. Peritoneal, alveolar, and splenic macrophages and Kupffer cells were infected in vitro with strains of N. asteroides of differing virulence. Uptake and killing assays were performed. Acid phosphatase levels and numbers of intracellular nocardiae were quantitated in the same macrophages, using a computer-assisted cytophotometry system. Acid phosphatase activity decreased inversely with numbers of intracellular nocardiae in macrophages that could not kill or inhibit this pathogen. Acid phosphatase activity was not significantly changed in macrophages that inhibited growth of, but did not kill, N. asteroides, whereas activity was increased or enhanced in macrophages that killed most of the ingested nocardiae. The order of nocardicidal effectiveness (and resistance to enzyme activity reduction with infection) for normal macrophages was splenic greater than peritoneal greater than alveolar greater than Kupffer. In contrast, the order of these two parameters for macrophages isolated from immunized mice was Kupffer greater than peritoneal greater than alveolar greater than splenic. These results demonstrate that lysosomal acid phosphatase activity is an effective marker of the ability of macrophages to inhibit growth of and kill N. asteroides and that macrophages isolated from different anatomical sites differ functionally from each other with respect to nocardicidal and acid phosphatase activities.

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Moore, T. A., Newstead, M. W., Strieter, R. M., Mehrad, B., Beaman, B. L., Standiford, T. J. (2000). Bacterial Clearance and Survival Are Dependent on CXC Chemokine Receptor-2 Ligands in a Murine Model of Pulmonary Nocardia asteroides Infection. J. Immunol. 164: 908-915 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Beaman, B. L., Beaman, L. (1998). Filament Tip-Associated Antigens Involved in Adherence to and Invasion of Murine Pulmonary Epithelial Cells In Vivo and HeLa Cells In Vitro by Nocardia asteroides. Infect. Immun. 66: 4676-4689 [Abstract] [Full Text]