Open AccessRetinoic acid treated HL60 cells express CEACAM1 (CD66a) and phagocytose Neisseria gonorrhoeae
Author(s) -
Pantelic Milica,
Chen Ines,
Parker James,
Zhang Pei,
Grunert Fritz,
Chen Tie
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
fems immunology & medical microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1574-695X
pISSN - 0928-8244
DOI - 10.1016/j.femsim.2004.05.010
Subject(s) - phagocytosis , neisseria gonorrhoeae , hl60 , microbiology and biotechnology , biology , retinoic acid , escherichia coli , antigen , antibody , cell culture , leukemia , immunology , biochemistry , gene , genetics
Neisseria gonorrhoeae (gonococci, GC) are phagocytosed by neutrophils through the interaction between opacity proteins (Opa) and the CEA (CD66) family of antigens. In order to study this interaction, we used the human myeloid leukemia HL60 cell line, which differentiates into granulocyte‐like cells upon treatment with dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) or retinoic acid (RA). We found that RA‐, but not DMSO‐ or untreated‐HL60 cells, can phagocytose OpaI‐expressing gonococci as well as Escherichia coli . The interaction of OpaI E. coli with RA‐treated HL60 cells was inhibited by antibodies against CEACAM1. Phagocytosis of OpaI E. coli was found to be a result of the expression of CEACAM1 in RA‐treated HL60 cells. Our results indicate that the level of expression of CEACAM1 in HL60 cells can be regulated by treatment with RA in a differentiation‐dependent manner, and that this is important for phagocytosis of OpaI‐expressing gonococci or E. coli .