Interleukin-17A Induces IL-1B Secretion from RPE Cells Via the NLRP3 Inflammasome
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Retinal Cell Biology Interleukin-17A Induces IL-1b Secretion From RPE Cells Via the NLRP3 Inflammasome Shujie Zhang,1–3 Ning Yu,4 Rong Zhang,1–3 Shenghai Zhang,1–3 and Jihong Wu1–3 1Research Center, Eye & ENT Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai, China 2Key Laboratory of Myopia, Ministry of Health, Fudan University, Shanghai, China 3Shanghai Key Laboratory of Visual Impairment and Restoration, Fudan University, Shanghai, China 4Department of Dermatology, Shanghai Skin Disease Hospital, Shanghai, China Correspondence: Jihong Wu, Re- PURPOSE. Inflammasome activation and IL-1b production have been proposed to have an search Center, Eye & ENT Hospital, important role in age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Growing evidence is emerging for Shanghai Medical College, Fudan involvement of interleukin-17A (IL-17A) in AMD pathogenesis. We investigated the effects of IL- University,83FenyangRoad,Shang- 17A on the activation of inflammasome and production of IL-1b in primary human RPE cells. hai 200031, China; [email protected]. METHODS. Primary human RPE cells were isolated and cultured for the following experiments. Shenghai Zhang, Research Center, Expression patterns of IL-17 receptor A (IL-17RA), IL-17 receptor C (IL-17RC), and ACT1 were Eye & ENT Hospital, Shanghai Med- analyzed by RT-PCR, flow cytometry, and immunofluorescence. IL-17A was added to the cell ical College, Fudan University, 83 cultures, and cytokine expression, signaling pathways, and inflammasome machinery were Fenyang Road, Shanghai 200031, investigated using real-time RT-PCR, ELISA, Western blot, flow cytometry, and small China; interfering RNA. [email protected]. RESULTS. Retinal pigment epithelial cells constitutively expressed IL-17RA, IL-17RC, and ACT1. SZ and NY contributed equally to the IL-17A upregulated the mRNA levels of pro-IL-1b, IL-8, CCL2, and CCL20, as well as the work presented here and should protein level of IL-1b. IL-17A induced the phosphorylation of Akt, Erk1/2, p38 MAPK, and NF- therefore be regarded as equivalent jB p65 in RPE cells. Blocking NF-jB attenuated IL-17A–induced expression of pro-IL-1b authors. mRNA. IL-17A enhanced pro-caspase-1 and NLRP3 mRNA expression. Inhibiting caspase-1 Submitted: June 27, 2015 activity and silencing NLRP3 decreased IL-1b secretion, confirming NLRP3 as the IL-17A– Accepted: December 8, 2015 responsive inflammasome on the posttranscriptional level. The mechanism of IL-17A– triggered NLRP3 activation and subsequent IL-1b secretion was found to involve the Citation: Zhang S, Yu N, Zhang R, Zhang S, Wu J. Interleukin-17A induc- generation of reactive oxygen species. es IL-1b secretion from RPE cells via CONCLUSIONS. Our results suggest that IL-17A triggers a key inflammatory mediator, IL-1b, from the NLRP3 inflammasome. Invest RPE cells, via NLRP3 inflammasome activation, holding therapeutic potential for AMD. Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2016;57:312– 319. DOI:10.1167/iovs.15-17578 Keywords: RPE cells, IL-17A, inflammasome, AMD ge-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a neurodegener- it still is not clear whether this component of innate immunity A ative disease with a multifactorial etiology, primarily could be activated or regulated by the local inflammatory attributable to morphologic and functional abnormalities in cytokine milieu generated during adaptive immune responses. the RPE cells.1 Mounting evidence has highlighted the essential Interleukin-17A (IL-17A) is the signature cytokine of Th17 role of immune processes in the development, progression, and cells and has a pivotal role in inducing expression of treatment of AMD. Innate and adaptive immune systems have proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines in the pathogenesis been shown to contribute to AMD pathogenesis.2,3 of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.16 Recent studies Inflammasome activation is a key component of innate have demonstrated involvement of IL-17A in the pathogenesis of immunity.4 Recent efforts have drawn attention to the AMD. Aberrant levels of IL-17A were observed in AMD macular inflammasome machinery, particularly its product IL-1b,asan lesions and sera.17 Complement component C5a, which inciting factor in AMD.5–8 It has been well documented that accumulated in AMD patient serum and in drusen, induced IL- RPE cells can be triggered to secrete a number of inflammatory 17A production from CD4þ T cells.18 Arecentepigeneticstudy cytokines and chemokines.9 Among these, IL-1b is one of the demonstrated that hypomethylation of the IL-17 receptor C (IL- initial cytokines produced following RPE activation.10,11 Tran- 17RC) promoter was associated with AMD.19 Since previous scription of the pro-IL-1b gene and production of cytosolic pro- reports showed the presence of IL-17A receptors on RPE IL-1b are dependent on the activation of NF-jB. At the cells,20,21 possibility exists that IL-17A may have a role in AMD posttranscriptional level, generation of mature IL-1b is regulat- by direct modulating the immunologic functions of RPE cells. ed by inflammasomes, which is formed by NACHT, LRR, and Both IL-17A signaling and inflammasome machinery have PYD domains-containing (NLRP) proteins, the most studied been linked to the pathogenesis of AMD; however, to our member of which is NLRP3.12 More recently, the role of the knowledge no studies to date have adequately addressed the NLRP3 inflammasome in AMD pathogenesis has been investi- interactions between them. Interleukin-1b functions in synergy gated extensively using AMD-related stimuli, such as A2E,8 Alu with IL-23 to promote the production of IL-17A and related RNA,13 lysosomal activation,14 and oxidative stress.15 However, cytokines from Th17 cells.22,23 Therefore, we hypothesized that iovs.arvojournals.org j ISSN: 1552-5783 312 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. Downloaded from tvst.arvojournals.org on 10/01/2021 IL-17A Induces IL-1b Secretion From RPE Cells IOVS j February 2016 j Vol. 57 j No. 2 j 313 TABLE. The Sequence of Primers Used for RT-PCR and Real-Time RT- removed, the posterior poles were incubated in 2% dispase PCR solution (Gibco, Grand Island, NY, USA) for 30 minutes in 378C, 5% CO2. After dispase treatment, the posterior poles were Gene Primers dissected into quadrants, and the retina was removed gently with IL-17RA 50-CGT TTG TGC GTC AGG TTT G-30 forceps. Single-cell RPE layers were peeled off in small sheets, 50-GCA GGA TCT GGT AAT GGG TAG A-30 and then RPE cells were dissociated from the sheets in a solution IL-17RC 50-AGA TGC CTG TGC CCT GGT TCT TGC T-30 containing 0.25% trypsin and 0.02% ethylenediaminetetraacetic 50-AGC AAG AAC CAG GGC ACA GGC ATC T-30 acid (Life Technologies, Grand Island, NY, USA) at 378Cfor30 ACT1 50-CCG TGA TGA TAA TCG TAG C-30 minutes. Afterward, the enzyme-treated tissues were dissociated 50-TAG CAT TTG GGA AGA GCA-30 into single RPE cells by gentle pipetting and centrifugation. Pro-caspase-1 50-TGA AGG ACA AAC CGA AGG-30 The RPE cells were cultured in DMEM:F12 growth medium 50-GAA GAG CAG AAA GCG ATA-30 containing 5.5 mM glucose (Gibco), supplemented with 10% NLRP3 50-GCC TCA ACA AAC GCT ACA-30 fetal bovine serum (Gibco). The cell cultures were maintained 50-GAC GCC CAG TCC AAC ATC-30 in a humidified incubator at 378C in an atmosphere containing Pro-IL-1b 50-AGC TAC GAA TCT CCG ACC AC-30 95% air and 5% CO2. The cells were passed every 3 days by 50-CGT TAT CCC ATG TGT CGA AGA A-30 trypsinization. For the following experiments, RPE cells were IL-8 50-ACT CCA AAC CTT TCC ACC-30 seeded into 6-well plates (Corning, Lowell, MA, USA). The 50% 50-CTT CTC CAC AAC CCT CTG-30 confluent RPE cell cultures were used in RPE65 immunoflu- CCL2 50-CTT CTG TGC CTG CTG CTC-30 orescence and the 80% to 100% confluent RPE cell cultures at 50-TGC TGC TGG TGA TTC TTC T-30 passages 3 to 5 were used in other experiments. CCL20 50-TGC TGC TAC TCC ACC TCT-30 After treatment with IL-17A (up to 200 ng/mL), Bay 11-7082 50-GCA AGT GAA ACC TCC AAC-30 (up to 10 lM), Z-YVAD-fmk (up to 10 lg/mL), small interfering GAPDH 50-AAT CCC ATC ACC ATC TTC C-30 RNA (siRNA), or NAC (5 mM), RPE cells were tested for viability 50-TTG AGG CTG TTG TCA TAC TTC T-30 using LIVE/DEAD Fixable Near-IR Dead Cell Stain Kit (Invitro- gen, Carlsbad, CA, USA) and flow cytometry. The cell viability was above 90% and did not decrease following these treatments. local IL-17A may serve as a trigger for inflammasome signaling and IL-1b production in RPE cells, forming a positive feedback Immunofluorescence of RPE Cells loop. In the present study, we first aimed to examine the expression pattern of IL-17 receptor A (IL-17RA), IL-17RC, and The 50% confluent cultured RPE cells were fixed in PBS ACT1 in primary human RPE cells. We next characterized the containing 3.7% paraformaldehyde. They then were blocked putative role of IL-17A in the production of IL-1b and the with the appropriate normal serum in PBS for 1 hour at room activation of NLRP3 inflammasome machinery in RPE cells. temperature. They then were incubated at 48C overnight with anti-RPE65 (1:200; Abcam). After being washed in PBS, the sections were incubated further with FITC-conjugated anti- MATERIALS AND METHODS mouse IgG (eBioscience) for 45 minutes at 378C. Control sections were treated in the same way, but with no primary Reagents mouse anti-RPE65 monoclonal antibody.