Creation of a genetic system for analysis of the phagocyte respiratory burst: high-level reconstitution of the NADPH oxidase in a nonhematopoietic system

MO Price, LC McPhail, JD Lambeth… - Blood, The Journal …, 2002 - ashpublications.org
MO Price, LC McPhail, JD Lambeth, CH Han, UG Knaus, MC Dinauer
Blood, The Journal of the American Society of Hematology, 2002ashpublications.org
The phagocyte nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (reduced form)(NADPH)
oxidase was functionally reconstituted in monkey kidney COS-7 cells by transfection of
essential subunits, gp91 phox, p22 phox, p47 phox, and p67 phox. COS-7 cells express the
essential small guanosine 5′-triphosphatase, Rac1. Transgenic COS-phox cells were
capable of arachidonic acid–induced NADPH oxidase activity up to 80% of that of human
neutrophils, and of phorbol myristate acetate (PMA)–induced activity up to 20% of that of …
Abstract
The phagocyte nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (reduced form) (NADPH) oxidase was functionally reconstituted in monkey kidney COS-7 cells by transfection of essential subunits, gp91phox, p22phox, p47phox, and p67phox. COS-7 cells express the essential small guanosine 5′-triphosphatase, Rac1. Transgenic COS-phox cells were capable of arachidonic acid–induced NADPH oxidase activity up to 80% of that of human neutrophils, and of phorbol myristate acetate (PMA)–induced activity up to 20% of that of neutrophils. Expression of all 4 phox components was required for enzyme activity, and enzyme activation was associated with membrane translocation of p47phox, p67phox, and Rac1. Expression of p47phox Ser303Ala/Ser304Ala or Ser379Ala phosphorylation-deficient mutants resulted in significantly impaired NAPDH oxidase activity, compared with expression of wild-type p47phox or the p47phox Ser303Glu/Ser304Glu phosphorylation mimic, suggesting that p47phoxphosphorylation contributes to enzyme activity in the COS system, as is the case in neutrophils. Hence, COS-phox cells should be useful as a new whole-cell model that is both capable of high-level superoxide production and readily amenable to genetic manipulation for investigation of NADPH oxidase function. PMA-elicited superoxide production in COS-phox cells was regulated by activation of protein kinase C (PKC) and Rac. Although COS-7 cells differ from human neutrophils in PKC isoform expression, transient expression of major neutrophil isoforms in COS-phox cells did not increase PMA-induced superoxide production, suggesting that endogenous isoforms were not rate limiting. Val204 in p67phox, previously shown to be required for NADPH oxidase activity under cell-free conditions, was found to be essential for superoxide production by intact COS-phox cells, on the basis of transfection studies using a p67phox(Val204Ala) mutant.
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