In vivo E-selectin upregulation correlates early with infiltration of PMN, later with PBL entry: MAbs block both

R. M. Binns, S. T. Licence, A. A. Harrison, E. T. Keelan, M. K. Robinson and D. O. Haskard Department of Immunology, Babraham Institute, Cambridge, United Kingdom. The endothelial molecule E-selectin binds most leukocyte subsets in vitro. Yet its role in regulating the very different kinetics of inflammatory infiltration of different leukocyte subsets in vivo is unclear. The kinetics of E-selectin upregulation and polymorphonuclear leukocyte (PMN) and blood lymphocyte (PBL) localization in inflammation induced by interleukin-1 alpha (IL-1 alpha), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), phytohemagglutinin (PHA), and phorbol myristate acetate (PMA) were investigated in a well-established inbred pig trafficking model. They differed markedly both for these three labeled indicators of inflammation and in each of the four inflammatory processes. In each, E-selectin upregulation correlated with early PMN entry and later with PBL infiltration but was more protracted than both. The importance of E-selectin was confirmed by marked inhibition of PMN and PBL entry (up to > 60%) by F(ab')2 anti-E-selectin. Involvement of other molecules was illustrated by similar or greater inhibition with anti-CD18 F(ab')2. We conclude that, like CD18, E-selectin is necessary for most PMN and PBL infiltration but alone is insufficient, consistent with the involvement of several alternative multistep molecular mechanisms in this entry.