Objective: Spondyloarthritis (SpA) is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by periodic exacerbations, which driven by an activation of pro-inflammatory cytokines, though the signaling mechanisms behind this remain unclear. Here, we investigate...
Objective: Spondyloarthritis (SpA) is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by periodic exacerbations, which driven by an activation of pro-inflammatory cytokines, though the signaling mechanisms behind this remain unclear. Here, we investigated PPM1A as an intracellular regulator of macrophage activation and inflammatory responses in the context of SpA pathogenesis.
Methods: We analyzed publicly available transcriptomic datasets from SpA patients to identify regulators associated with inflammatory cytokine profiles. SKG mice and conditional PPM1A knockout mice (PPM1Afl/fl;LysM-Cre), generated using Cre- LoxP system, were utilized to assess functional role of PPM1A in macrophages. Bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMMs) from PPM1Afl/fl;LysM-Cre mice were analyzed to investigate molecular mechanisms associated with inflammasome activation and downstream T cell responses through co-culture with CD4⁺ T cells.
Results: PPM1A expression was negatively correlated with IL-1β and NLRP3 levels in macrophages from AS patients, which was validated in established in vivo animal models of spondyloarthritis. Upon stimulation of NLRP3 inflammasome, IL-1β secretion was significantly increased in PPM1Afl/fl;LysM-Cre mice compared with LysM-Cre mice, whereas TNF-𝛼 secretion had no difference between them, both in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, PPM1A limited NLRP3 inflammasome activation by dephosphorylating IKKβ and blocking its binding to NLRP3. Increased IL-1β level in PPM1Afl/fl;LysM-Cre BMMs promoted IL-17A production in co-cultured CD4+ T cells.
Conclusion: Intracellular PPM1A negatively regulates IL-1β secretion in macrophages by dephosphorylating IKKβ and limiting NLRP3 inflammasome activation, thereby promoting Th17 responses and contributing to chronic inflammation in SpA.