No abstract

It has been suggested that members of HSP families represent the surface target of immune responses leading to tumor rejection in mice. Here we report that tumor cells, compared with normal cells, constitutively expressed 2- to 10-fold higher levels of intracellular HSP90. Moreover, in the absence of environmental stress, 2 lines (out of 6) expressed the "inducible" HSP72, which was also detectable in fresh tumor cells. HSP72 expression was not regulated during the cell cycle, in contrast with what has been observed with normal cells. Both HSP90 and HSP72 proteins exhibited a heterogeneous pattern of intracellular distribution in most cells, HSP72 being confined mainly to the nuclear compartment. Finally, we could detect both HSP90 and, to a lesser extent, HSP72 (that are generally believed to be located intracellularly) at the surface of some tumor cell lines. We conclude that tumor cells differ from normal cells in their pattern of HSP expression; this might imply a role of HSPs in eliciting an immune response against cancer.

ABSTRACT

Dendritic cells derived in vitro from monocytes are known to be poor phagocytes. Here we show that, unlike macrophages, monocyte-derived dendritic cells indeed fail to take up opsonized particles or necrotic cells; however, apoptotic bodies are efficiently engulfed by dendritic cells. The temperature dependence and the sensitivity to cytochalasin D indicate that the apoptotic body engulfment is representative of early stages of phagocytosis. Inhibition studies with ligands for surface molecules involved in recognition of apoptotic bodies, such as vitronectin receptor, CD36 and phosphatidylserine receptor, revealed that apoptotic body engulfment by dendritic cells is mediated preferentially by the vitronectin receptor alpha(v)beta3, while all the receptors, with different efficiency, are engaged in phagocytosis of apoptotic bodies by macrophages. The interaction between apoptotic bodies and dendritic cells elicits a rise in intracellular free calcium concentration ([Ca2+]i) which is essential for the process of engulfment. Either intra- or extracellular Ca2+ buffering inhibits apoptotic body engulfment by dendritic cells and [Ca2+]i increases, indicating the involvement of both intra- and extracellular Ca2+. In contrast, Ca2+ mobilization is dispensable for macrophage phagocytosis of apoptotic bodies. The different requirements of Ca2+ in macrophages and dendritic cells is possibly due to the differential usage of phagocytic receptors (CD36 vs. alpha(v)beta3) and might reflect different fates of apoptotic bodies in the two cell types.

No abstract