CD40/CD154 ligation induces mononuclear cell adhesion to human renal proximal tubule cells via increased ICAM-1 expression.

The role of CD40/CD154 ligation in the upregulation of genes of the proinflammatory nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) signal transduction pathway was explored in primary cultures of human renal proximal tubule epithelial cells. Using a cDNA gene array specific for human NF-kappaB signal pathway genes, 38 genes were upregulated at 1 h, and 7 of these genes remained upregulated at 3 h. Of these genes, intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) was explored in further detail. Quantitative real-time PCR for ICAM-1 mRNA expression confirmed the gene array findings. Western blot analysis and quantitative sandwich-enzyme ELISA confirmed this observation at the protein level. A cell-surface ELISA assay showed that ICAM-1 expression doubled by 48 h of CD154 exposure, and fluorescence-activated cell sorter analysis suggested that both the number of cells expressing ICAM-1 and the expression of ICAM-1 on these cells had increased. A cell adhesion assay using fluorescein-labeled human peripheral mononuclear cells showed that ICAM-1 upregulation resulted in increased mononuclear cell adhesion to the monolayer, which was abrogated by pretreatment of the monolayer with a neutralizing ICAM-1 antibody. The p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) inhibitor SB-203580 but not the extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 inhibitor (PD-98059) nor the protein kinase C inhibitor (calphostin) blunted ICAM-1 expression and mononuclear cell adhesion to the monolayer. We conclude that, in human renal proximal tubule epithelial cells, CD40 activation upregulates ICAM-1 (and other NF-kappaB pathway genes) expression with concomitant enhanced adhesion of mononuclear cells, which is mediated via the p38 MAPK signal transduction pathway.