Expression of the macrophage scavenger receptor in atheroma. Relationship to immune activation and the T-cell cytokine interferon-gamma.

Scavenger receptors mediate internalization of modified lipoproteins and foam cell transformation of monocyte-derived cytokines. We investigated macrophage scavenger receptor (MSR) expression in monocyte-macrophages from human peripheral blood and in atherosclerotic lesions and analyzed its relationship to T lymphocytes and immunoregulatory cytokines by immunohistochemistry and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Antibodies specific for the two MSR isoforms were generated by immunizing rabbits with isoform-specific synthetic peptides conjugated to keyhole limpet hemocyanin. In human atherosclerotic plaques, these antibodies stained macrophages and foam cells in a pattern that corresponded to the distribution of the macrophage marker CD68. CD3-positive T cells and alpha-actin-positive smooth muscle cells exhibited no reactivity to the anti-MSR antibodies. The frequency of cells stained with antibodies to MSR type I was equal to that of cells stained for type II, suggesting that most macrophages coexpress both isoforms. Reverse transcription (RT)-PCR analysis confirmed that both MSR isoforms were expressed in all plaques examined. There was, however, a tendency toward a lower immunohistochemical staining intensity for MSR type I and a decreased number of lipid-rich foam cells in T cell-rich areas. The mRNAs for interleukin-2 and interferon-gamma, two major products of activated T cells, were detected by RT-PCR in all plaques tested. This indicates that activation of T lymphocytes occurs in atherosclerotic plaques. Since interferon-gamma downregulates MSR expression, these observations suggest a potential mechanism for local regulation of MSR expression in the atherosclerotic plaque.