UP-REGULATION OF INTERFERON-INDUCED INDOLEAMINE 2,3-DIOXYGENASE IN HUMAN MACROPHAGE CULTURES BY LIPOPOLYSACCHARIDE, MURAMYL TRIPEPTIDE, AND INTERLEUKIN-1

The tryptophan decyclizing enzyme indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) was induced in human monocyte-derived macrophages (MDM) treated with human recombinant interferon-beta (IFN-beta) or interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma). Treated cells exhibited dose-dependent increases in IDO when assayed 48 hr after treatment. Cells exposed to IFN-gamma, were observed to exhibit consistently higher peak levels of IDO when compared with cells incubated in the presence of IFN-beta. When IFN-beta-treated cells were incubated in the presence of specified amounts of bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or liposome-encapsulated muramyl tripeptide (MTP), peak IDO activity increased such that enzyme activity was comparable to maximal activity observed with IFN-gamma-treated cells. LPS and MTP also upregulated IFN-gamma-mediated IDO activity when suboptimal amounts of IFN-gamma were used. When macrophages were costimulated with various concentrations of human recombinant interleukin 1 alpha (IL-1 alpha), along with either maximum-stimulating amounts of IFN-beta or suboptimal amounts of IFN-gamma, IDO activity was upregulated in a manner similar to results obtained using the microbial products as stimuli. While neither IL-1 alpha or IL-1 beta was detected in culture supernatants from macrophages treated with either LPS or MTP (alone or in combination with IFN), IL-1 alpha was detected in cell lysates of macrophages treated with these upregulators. Although neutralizing antibody to IL-1 alpha abolished the upregulatory effect of exogenous IL-1 alpha, it had no effect on upregulation by LPS or MTP. This suggests that although LPS and MTP may induce production of cell-associated IL-1 alpha, upregulation of IDO activity by these agents is independent of IL-1 alpha production and may be mediated through distinct pathways. (C) 1995 Academic Press, Inc.