Membrane-anchored forms of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-binding protein do not mediate cellular responses to LPS independently of CD14 (original) (raw)

Inflammatory responses of myeloid cells to LPS are mediated through CD14, a glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored receptor that binds LPS. Since CD14 does not traverse the plasma membrane and alternatively anchored forms of CD14 still enable LPS-induced cellular activation, the precise role of CD14 in mediating these responses remains unknown. To address this, we created a transmembrane and a glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored form of LPS-binding protein (LBP), a component of serum that binds and transfers LPS to other molecules. Stably transfected Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) fibroblast and U373 astrocytoma cell lines expressing membrane-anchored LBP (mLBP), as well as separate CHO and U373 cell lines expressing membrane CD14 (mCD14), were subsequently generated. Under serum-free conditions, CHO and U373 cells expressing mCD14 responded to as little as 0.1 ng/ml of LPS, as measured by NF-kappaB activation as well as ICAM and IL-6 production. Conversely, the vector control and mLB...