Surface expression of human CD14 in Chinese hamster ovary fibroblasts imparts macrophage-like responsiveness to bacterial endotoxin.

Cardiovascular collapse associated with Gram-negative septicemia is believed to result from the stimulation of phagocytes by bacterial lipopolysaccharide (endotoxin, LPS). It remains unclear how endotoxin activates phagocytes, but recent evidence suggests the involvement of the glycosyl phosphatidylinositol-linked myelocyte antigen, CD14. We report that transfection of human CD14 into Chinese hamster ovary fibroblasts transfers macrophage-like responsiveness to otherwise LPS-unresponsive cells. These data demonstrate that LPS-induced responsiveness can be transferred to a heterologous non-responder cell type by expression of a single leukocyte-specific gene product.