Human colonic epithelial cell lines (T84, Caco2 and HT-29) were used to address the question of whether intestinal epithelial cells can detect and respond to activated complement via the anaphylatoxin receptors, considering the gut is host to large numbers of bacteria. All cell lines possess C3aR, C5aR and C5L2. Confocal microscopy confirmed that cells express apical C5aR and C5L2. C3a and C5a up-regulated CXCL8 and CXCL10 mRNA but not secreted protein levels within 48 hours. Protein levels were not increased using simultaneous treatment with subthreshold concentrations of LPS or TNF plus anaphylatoxin. C3a and C5a also increased the permeability of polarized monolayers. Anaphylatoxins also promoted the proliferation of T84 and HT-29. Inhibition of ERK signaling abolished these effects of anaphylatoxins. Our findings that multiple human cell lines possess functional anaphylatoxin receptors indicates that the colonic epithelium likely responds to the activation of complement in the lumen with an inflammatory outcome.

Critical illness is an aetiologically and clinically heterogeneous syndrome that is characterised by organ failure and immune dysfunction. Mortality in critically ill patients is driven by inflammation-associated organ damage and a profound vulnerability to nosocomial infection. Both factors are influenced by the complement protein C5a, released by unbridled activation of the complement system during critical illness. C5a suppresses antimicrobial functions of key immune cells, in particular the neutrophil, and this suppression has been shown to be associated with poorer outcomes amongst critically ill adults. The intracellular signalling pathways which mediate C5a-induced neutrophil dysfunction are incompletely understood, and scalable tools with which to assess immune cell dysfunction in patients are lacking. This thesis aimed to develop tools with which to assess neutrophil function and delineate intracellular signalling pathways driving C5a-induced impairment. Neutrophils were isolated from healthy volunteer blood and functions (priming, phagocytosis and reactive oxygen species production) were assessed using light microscopy, confocal microscopy and flow cytometry. A new assay was developed using an Attune Nxt™ acoustic focusing cytometer (Life Technologies) which allowed the rapid assessment of multiple neutrophil functions in small samples of unlysed, minimally-manipulated human whole blood. Complete proteomes and phosphoproteomes of phagocytosing neutrophils were obtained from four healthy donors pre-treated with C5a or vehicle control. Several key insights were gained from this work and are summarised here. Firstly, C5a was found to induce a prolonged (greater than seven hours) impairment of neutrophil phagocytosis. This defect was found to be preventable by previous or concurrent phagocytosis, indicating common signalling mechanisms. Secondly, a novel assay was developed which allows the rapid assessment of multiple neutrophil functions in less than 2 mL of whole blood, and this assay can feasibly be applied in clinical settings. Thirdly, cell-surface expression of the C5a receptor was found to be markedly decreased during phagocytosis, and this decrease was not mediated by protease activity. Finally, unbiased proteomics quantified 4859 proteins and 2712 phosphoproteins respectively. This quantification is the deepest profile of the human neutrophil proteome published to date, and has revealed novel insights into the mechanisms of C5a-induced neutrophil dysfunction and phagocytosis.

The complement fragments C3a and C5a were purified from zymosan-activated human serum by column chromatographic procedures after the bulk of the proteins had been removed by acidic polyethylene glycol precipitation. In the isolated in situ perfused rat liver C3a increased glucose and lactate output and reduced flow. Its effects were enhanced in the presence of the carboxypeptidase inhibitor DL-mercaptomethyl-3-guanidinoethylthio-propanoic acid (MERGETPA) and abolished by preincubation of the anaphylatoxin with carboxypeptidase B or with Fab fragments of an anti-C3a monoclonal antibody. The C3a effects were partially inhibited by the thromboxane antagonist BM13505. C5a had no effect. It is concluded that locally but not systemically produced C3a may play an important role in the regulation of local metabolism and hemodynamics during inflammatory processes in the liver.

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(医学) / 甲第22696号 / 医博第4640号 / 新制||医||1045(附属図書館) / 京都大学大学院医学研究科医学専攻 / (主査)教授 羽賀 博典, 教授 妹尾 浩, 教授 木村 剛 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Medical Science / Kyoto University / DGAM

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