Heparan sulfate (HS) proteoglycans are important regulators of cellular responses to soluble mediators such as chemokines, cytokines and growth factors. We profiled changes in expression of genes encoding HS core proteins, biosynthesis enzymes and modifiers during macrophage polarisation, and found that the most highly regulated gene was Sulf2, an extracellular HS 6-O-sulfatase that was markedly downregulated in response to pro-inflammatory stimuli. We then generated Sulf2+/- bone marrow chimeric mice and examined inflammatory responses in antigen-induced arthritis, as a model of rheumatoid arthritis. Resolution of inflammation was impaired in myeloid Sulf2+/- chimeras, with elevated joint swelling and increased abundance of pro-arthritic Th17 cells in synovial tissue. Transcriptomic and in vitro analyses indicated that Sulf2 deficiency increased type I interferon signaling in bone marrow-derived macrophages, leading to elevated expression of the Th17-inducing cytokine IL6. This establishes that dynamic remodeling of HS by Sulf2 limits type I interferon signaling in macrophages, and so protects against Th17-driven pathology.
Journal article
Cell Mol Life Sci
14/08/2024
81
Heparan sulfate, Inflammation, Interferon, Macrophage, Animals, Th17 Cells, Signal Transduction, Mice, Macrophages, Mice, Inbred C57BL, Sulfatases, Sulfotransferases, Myeloid Cells, Arthritis, Experimental, Arthritis, Rheumatoid, Inflammation, Mice, Knockout, Interleukin-6, Heparitin Sulfate