Interleukin-8 (IL-8) and the structurally related cytokines neutrophil- activating peptide-2 (NAP-2) and GRO alpha are powerful chemotactic agents for human neutrophils. Although these three chemokines act by binding to overlapping but not identical receptor subsets, the data available to date have stressed the similarities in their mechanisms of action. The present studies were undertaken to further our understanding of the signal transduction mechanisms associated with these neutrophil agonists. IL-8, NAP-2, and GRO alpha stimulated similar increases in the level of cytoplasmic free calcium. They were also shown to stimulate qualitatively similar increases in the levels of protein tyrosine phosphorylation. In contrast, only IL-8 enhanced the formation of phosphatidylethanol (PEt), the product catalyzed by phospholipase D (PLD) in the presence of ethanol. The formation of PEt stimulated by IL-8 was inhibited by pertussis toxin and the tyrosine kinase inhibitors erbstatin and herbimycin A. The ability of IL-8 to stimulate the activity of PLD was additively enhanced, or primed, by cytochalasin B and by tumor necrosis factor alpha. Although all three chemokines increased the level of free cytoplasmic calcium to the same extent, IL-8 was significantly more potent than either NAP-2 or GRO alpha with respect to its ability to enhance CD11b expression and to stimulate chemotactic and oxidative responses. The differences between IL-8, NAP-2, and GRO alpha in their ability to stimulate PLD is likely to be related to their respective binding affinities for the two IL-8 receptors (IL-8R-A and IL-8R-B). These results suggest that the signalling pathways activated by IL-8R-A and IL-8R-B diverge at a step preceding the activation of PLD.

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