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Infection and Immunity, June 2000, p. 3394-3402, Vol. 68, No. 6
0019-9567/00/$04.00+0
Copyright © 2000, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
Expression of Interleukin-1
, Tumor Necrosis
Factor Alpha, and Interleukin-6 in Human Peripheral Blood Leukocytes
Exposed to Human Granulocytic Ehrlichiosis Agent or Recombinant Major
Surface Protein P44
Hyung-Yong
Kim and
Yasuko
Rikihisa*
Department of Veterinary Biosciences, College
of Veterinary Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio
43210-1093
Received 3 January 2000/Returned for modification 1 March
2000/Accepted 24 March 2000
Human granulocytic ehrlichiosis (HGE) is an emerging febrile
systemic disease caused by the HGE agent, an obligatory intracellular bacterium of granulocytes. The pathogenicity- and immunity-related mechanisms of HGE are unknown. In this study, several cytokines generated in human peripheral blood leukocytes (PBLs) incubated with
the HGE agent or a recombinant 44-kDa major surface protein (rP44) of
the HGE agent were examined by reverse transcription-PCR and a capture
enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The HGE agent induced expression of
interleukin-1
(IL-1
), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-
), and
IL-6 mRNAs and proteins in PBLs in a dose-dependent manner to
levels as high as those resulting from Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide stimulation. The kinetics of induction of these three cytokines in PBLs by rP44 and by the HGE agent were similar. Proteinase K treatment of the HGE agent or rP44 eliminated the ability
to induce these three cytokines. Induction of these cytokine mRNAs
was not dependent on superoxide generation. These results suggest that
P44 proteins have a major role in inducing the production of
proinflammatory cytokines by PBLs. Expression of IL-8, IL-10, gamma
interferon, transforming growth factor
, and IL-2 mRNAs in
response to the HGE agent was not remarkable. Among PBLs, neutrophils and lymphocytes expressed IL-1
mRNA but not TNF-
or IL-6
mRNA in response to the HGE agent, whereas monocytes expressed all three of these cytokine mRNAs. These observations suggest that induction of proinflammatory-cytokine gene expression by the major outer membrane protein of the HGE agent in monocytes, which are not the
primary host cells of the HGE agent, contributes to HGE pathogenesis
and immunomodulation.
*
Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of
Veterinary Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, The Ohio State University, 1925 Coffey Rd., Columbus, OH 43210-1093. Phone: (614) 292-5661. Fax: (614) 292-6473. E-mail:
rikihisa.1{at}osu.edu.
Infection and Immunity, June 2000, p. 3394-3402, Vol. 68, No. 6
0019-9567/00/$04.00+0
Copyright © 2000, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
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