Papers of the Week

Circulating neutrophil-derived microvesicles (NMVs) are markedly elevated during sepsis and therefore could have a role in the development of indirect acute lung injury (ALI). We recently found that NMV-enriched CD11b MVs, immunoaffinity isolated from lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated healthy volunteer blood, have potent pro-inflammatory activity in a human peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) and lung microvascular endothelial cell (HLMEC) coculture model of pulmonary vascular inflammation (1). By contrast, immunoaffinity isolated platelet-MVs (CD61 ) produced negligible responses in these assays, suggesting specificity of the NMV-enriched CD11b MV, activity. Here, we investigated the signaling mechanisms responsible for NMV-mediated activation of monocytes and HLMECs in this model.