Viegas Carla S B, Costa Rúben M, Santos Lúcia, Videira Paula A, Silva Zélia, Araújo Nuna, Macedo Anjos L, Matos António P, Vermeer Cees, Simes Dina C
Centre of Marine Sciences (CCMAR), University of Algarve, Faro, Portugal.
GenoGla Diagnostics, Centre of Marine Sciences (CCMAR), University of Algarve, Faro, Portugal.
PLoS One. 2017 May 18;12(5):e0177829. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0177829. eCollection 2017.
Calcification-related chronic inflammatory diseases are multifactorial pathological processes, involving a complex interplay between inflammation and calcification events in a positive feed-back loop driving disease progression. Gla-rich protein (GRP) is a vitamin K dependent protein (VKDP) shown to function as a calcification inhibitor in cardiovascular and articular tissues, and proposed as an anti-inflammatory agent in chondrocytes and synoviocytes, acting as a new crosstalk factor between these two interconnected events in osteoarthritis. However, a possible function of GRP in the immune system has never been studied. Here we focused our investigation in the involvement of GRP in the cell inflammatory response mechanisms, using a combination of freshly isolated human leucocytes and undifferentiated/differentiated THP-1 cell line. Our results demonstrate that VKDPs such as GRP and matrix gla protein (MGP) are synthesized and γ-carboxylated in the majority of human immune system cells either involved in innate or adaptive immune responses. Stimulation of THP-1 monocytes/macrophages with LPS or hydroxyapatite (HA) up-regulated GRP expression, and treatments with GRP or GRP-coated basic calcium phosphate crystals resulted in the down-regulation of mediators of inflammation and inflammatory cytokines, independently of the protein γ-carboxylation status. Moreover, overexpression of GRP in THP-1 cells rescued the inflammation induced by LPS and HA, by down-regulation of the proinflammatory cytokines TNFα, IL-1β and NFkB. Interestingly, GRP was detected at protein and mRNA levels in extracellular vesicles released by macrophages, which may act as vehicles for extracellular trafficking and release. Our data indicate GRP as an endogenous mediator of inflammatory responses acting as an anti-inflammatory agent in monocytes/macrophages. We propose that in a context of chronic inflammation and calcification-related pathologies, GRP might act as a novel molecular mediator linking inflammation and calcification events, with potential therapeutic application.
钙化相关的慢性炎症性疾病是多因素病理过程,涉及炎症和钙化事件之间复杂的相互作用,形成一个促进疾病进展的正反馈回路。富含γ-羧基谷氨酸的蛋白(GRP)是一种维生素K依赖性蛋白(VKDP),已证明其在心血管和关节组织中作为钙化抑制剂发挥作用,并被认为是软骨细胞和滑膜细胞中的抗炎剂,是骨关节炎中这两个相互关联事件之间的新的相互作用因子。然而,GRP在免疫系统中的可能功能从未被研究过。在这里,我们使用新鲜分离的人类白细胞和未分化/分化的THP-1细胞系,重点研究GRP在细胞炎症反应机制中的作用。我们的结果表明,GRP和基质γ-羧基谷氨酸蛋白(MGP)等VKDPs在参与先天性或适应性免疫反应的大多数人类免疫系统细胞中合成并进行γ-羧化。用脂多糖(LPS)或羟基磷灰石(HA)刺激THP-1单核细胞/巨噬细胞会上调GRP表达,用GRP或GRP包被的碱性磷酸钙晶体处理会导致炎症介质和炎性细胞因子的下调,这与蛋白质γ-羧化状态无关。此外,THP-1细胞中GRP的过表达通过下调促炎细胞因子TNFα、IL-1β和NFκB挽救了由LPS和HA诱导的炎症。有趣的是,在巨噬细胞释放的细胞外囊泡中检测到了GRP的蛋白质和mRNA水平,这些囊泡可能作为细胞外运输和释放的载体。我们的数据表明GRP是炎症反应的内源性介质,在单核细胞/巨噬细胞中作为抗炎剂发挥作用。我们提出,在慢性炎症和钙化相关疾病的背景下,GRP可能作为连接炎症和钙化事件的新型分子介质,具有潜在的治疗应用价值。