An immunomodulatory protein, Ling Zhi-8, facilitates cellular interaction through modulation of adhesion molecules.

Ling Zhi-8 (LZ-8), a novel immunomodulatory protein, markedly enhanced the expression of CD11b, but not CD11a, CD13, CD14, CD18, CD33 or HLA-DR, on the U937 cell line in a dose-dependent fashion. It also induced ICAM-1 expression on vascular endothelial cells and significantly augmented gamma - interferon-induced cellular binding between vascular endothelial cells and U937. Furthermore, LZ-8 increased the expression of CD2, but not VLA4, VLA5 or LFA3, on MOLT4 and enhanced rosette formation between human T cells and sheep red blood cells. These data suggest that LZ-8 exerts its pharmacological effect by modulating adhesion molecules on immunocompetent cells.