Development and characterization of a novel monoclonal antibody (mNI-11) that induces cell adhesion of the LPS-stimulated human monocyte-like cell line U937.

A monoclonal immunoglobulin G1 (IgG1) antibody (mAb), designated mNI-11, was produced by immunizing mice with the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated monocyte-like cell line U937. The reactivity of mNI-11 was tested by the indirect immunofluorescence method. The antigen defined by mNI-11 was found to be expressed on U937 cells, LPS-stimulated U937 cells, normal CD14+ cells (monocytes/macrophages), and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Expression of the antigen defined by mNI-11 on HUVECs slightly increased in response to exposure to tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and phorbol myristate acetate (PMA). When the reactivity of mNI-11 and mAbs binding human differentiation antigens such as CD11a, CD11b, CD11c, CD14, CD16, CD18, CD23, CD28, CD29, CD31, CD43, CD44, CD45RA, CD49d, CD50, CD54, CD58, CD80, CD102, CD106, HLA-class I, or HLA-class II antigen was compared, no mNI-11 reactivity resembling that of these mAbs was found. mNI-11 markedly induced homotypic cell aggregation of U937 cells when they were stimulated with LPS. The mNI-11-induced aggregation of LPS-stimulated U937 cells, referred to as LPS-U937 cells, required neither Fc receptor engagement nor cross-linking of the antigen defined by mNI-11 because aggregation was induced by both F(ab')2 fragments and monovalent F(ab') fragments of mNI-11. The mNI-11-induced aggregation was blocked by the addition of ethylenediaminetetraacetate, and also when incubated at 4 degrees C. mAbs to CD11a/CD18 (lymphocyte-function associated antigen-1; LFA-1) and CD54 (intercellular adhesion molecule-1; ICAM-1) completely blocked the LPS-U937 cell aggregation induced by mNI-11. The LPS-U937 cell aggregation induced by mNI-11 was partially but not completely blocked by the protein kinase C inhibitors sphingosine and H-7, and was completely blocked by the protein-tyrosine kinase inhibitor genistein. Interestingly, mNI-11 markedly promoted LPS-U937 cell adhesion to HUVECs. The mNI-11-induced LPS-U937 cell adhesion to HUVECs was not reduced in the presence of LFA-1 (CD11a/CD18) or ICAM-1 (CD54) mAbs. On the other hand, LPS-U937 cells, whether treated with mNI-11 or not, sufficiently adhered to the extracellular matrix protein fibronectin, but not to laminin or collagen type I. However, mNI-11 did not markedly promote LPS-U937 cell adhesion to fibronectin. Adhesion of LPS-U937 cells treated with mNI-11 to fibronectin was completely blocked by CD29 (beta chain of very late antigens) mAb. The surface antigen recognized by mNI-11 had a molecular size of approximately 97 kDa under non-reducing conditions and approximately 117 kDa under reducing conditions, as determined by immunoblotting analysis. We found that mNI-11 recognizes an adhesion-associated molecule distinct from any previously reported in terms of its pattern of cellular distribution and molecular weight, and also found that mNI-11 has activity which induces cell adhesion/aggregation of U937 cells when stimulated with LPS.