Hong Wenxiang, Ma Hongbo, Yang Zhaoxu, Wang Jiaying, Peng Bowen, Wang Longling, Du Yiwen, Yang Lijun, Zhang Lijiang, Li Zhibin, Huang Han, Zhu Difeng, Yang Bo, He Qiaojun, Wang Jiajia, Weng Qinjie
Center for Drug Safety Evaluation and Research, Zhejiang Province Key Laboratory of Anti-Cancer Drug Research, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China.
Nanhu Brain-Computer Interface Institute, Hangzhou 311100, China.
Acta Pharm Sin B. 2025 Mar;15(3):1626-1642. doi: 10.1016/j.apsb.2025.02.004. Epub 2025 Feb 11.
Dendritic cells (DCs) serve as the primary antigen-presenting cells in autoimmune diseases, like rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and exhibit distinct signaling profiles due to antigenic diversity. Type II collagen (CII) has been recognized as an RA-specific antigen; however, little is known about CII-stimulated DCs, limiting the development of RA-specific therapeutic interventions. In this study, we show that CII-stimulated DCs display a preferential gene expression profile associated with migration, offering a new perspective for targeting DC migration in RA treatment. Then, saikosaponin D (SSD) was identified as a compound capable of blocking CII-induced DC migration and effectively ameliorating arthritis. Optineurin (OPTN) is further revealed as a potential SSD target, with deletion impairing CII-pulsed DC migration without affecting maturation. Function analyses uncover that OPTN prevents the proteasomal transport and ubiquitin-dependent degradation of C-C chemokine receptor 7 (CCR7), a pivotal chemokine receptor in DC migration. -deficient DCs exhibit reduced CCR7 expression, leading to slower migration in CII-surrounded environment, thus alleviating arthritis progression. Our findings underscore the significance of antigen-specific DC activation in RA and suggest OPTN is a crucial regulator of CII-specific DC migration. OPTN emerges as a promising drug target for RA, potentially offering significant value for the therapeutic management of RA.
树突状细胞(DCs)是自身免疫性疾病(如类风湿性关节炎,RA)中的主要抗原呈递细胞,由于抗原多样性而表现出不同的信号特征。II型胶原(CII)已被公认为RA特异性抗原;然而,关于CII刺激的DCs知之甚少,这限制了RA特异性治疗干预措施的发展。在本研究中,我们表明CII刺激的DCs表现出与迁移相关的优先基因表达谱,为在RA治疗中靶向DC迁移提供了新的视角。然后,柴胡皂苷D(SSD)被鉴定为一种能够阻断CII诱导的DC迁移并有效改善关节炎的化合物。进一步揭示,视黄醛结合蛋白(OPTN)是SSD的潜在靶点,其缺失会损害CII脉冲DC迁移而不影响成熟。功能分析发现,OPTN可防止C-C趋化因子受体7(CCR7)的蛋白酶体转运和泛素依赖性降解,CCR7是DC迁移中的关键趋化因子受体。OPTN缺陷的DCs表现出CCR7表达降低,导致在CII包围环境中的迁移减慢,从而减轻关节炎进展。我们的研究结果强调了抗原特异性DC激活在RA中的重要性,并表明OPTN是CII特异性DC迁移的关键调节因子。OPTN成为RA的一个有前景的药物靶点,可能为RA的治疗管理提供重要价值。