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Two bone-marrow-derived macrophage cell lines, C2D and C2Dt, were isolated from major histocompatibility class II negative knock-out mice. The C2D cell line was stabilized by continuous culture in colony-stimulating factor-1 and the C2Dt cell line was transformed with SV40 virus large T antigen. These cells exhibited phenotypic properties of macrophages including morphology and expression of Mac 1 and Mac 2 cell surface molecules. These cells also had comparable growth to the bone-marrow-derived macrophage cell line B6MP102. These new cell lines were not spontaneously cytotoxic and were only capable of modest killing of F5b tumor cells when stimulated with LPS and interferon-gamma, but not when stimulated with LPS alone or with staphylococcal exotoxin. C2D and C2Dt cells phagocytosed labeled Staphylococcus aureus similarly to B6MP102 cells but less well than C2D peritoneal macrophages. These cell lines secreted interleukin-6, but not tumor necrosis factor or nitric oxide in response to LPS or staphlococcal enterotoxins A or B C2D(t) cells were tumorigenic in C2D and C57BL/6J mice but C2D cells were not. These data suggest that macrophage cell lines can be established from bone marrow cells of major histocompatibility complex II-negative mice.

The effects of skeletal unloading using antiorthostatic tail suspension on the mouse immune system are tissue specific. This phenomenon was demonstrated by analyzing cells from the lymph nodes, spleen, and bone marrow. Phytohemagglutinin-induced T-cell proliferation was depressed in lymph nodes after 11 days of antiorthostatic suspension. In contrast, splenic T-cell proliferation in response to phytohemagglutinin was enhanced. Splenic natural killer cell cytotoxicity was unchanged after suspension, which demonstrated the organ- and cell-specific effects of skeletal unloading. Whereas antiorthostatic suspension induced minimal changes in bone, there was a significant depression in the number of macrophage precursors in the bone marrow. Overall, skeletally unloaded animals had slightly higher blood corticosterone levels than did control animals; however, it did not appear to be responsible for the observed changes. In conclusion, skeletal unloading produces organ- and cell-specific changes in the murine immune system rather than a generalized immunosuppression.

Antiorthostatically suspended mice had suppressed macrophage development in both unloaded and loaded bones, indicating a systemic effect. Bone marrow cells from those mice secreted less macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) than did control mice. Because M-CSF and IL-6 are important to bone marrow macrophage maturation, we formulated the hypothesis that suppressed macrophage development occurred as a result of the depressed levels of either M-CSF or IL-6. To test the hypothesis, mice were administered recombinant M-CSF or IL-6 intraperitoneally. We showed that recombinant M-CSF therapy, but not recombinant IL-6 therapy, reversed the suppressive effects of antiorthostatic suspension on macrophage development. These data suggest that bone marrow cells that produce M-CSF are affected by antiorthostatic suspension and may contribute to the inhibited maturation of bone marrow macrophage progenitors.

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