Wnt5a-Rac1-NF-κB homeostatic circuitry sustains innate immune functions in macrophages

J Immunol. 2014 May 1;192(9):4386-97. doi: 10.4049/jimmunol.1302817. Epub 2014 Apr 4.

Abstract

Macrophages play a critical role in innate immunity. Differentiation Ags present on macrophages such as CD14 orchestrate the first line of defense against infection. The basal/homeostatic signaling scheme that keeps macrophages thus groomed for innate immune functions remains unresolved. Wnt5a-Fz5 signaling being a primordial event during cell differentiation, we examined the involvement of Wnt5a-Fz5 signaling in the maintenance of innate immune functions. In this study, we demonstrate that innate immune functions of macrophages ensue at least partly through a homeostatic Wnt5a-Fz5-NF-κB (p65) circuit, which is Rac1 dependent. The autocrine/paracrine Wnt5a-Fz5-Rac1-p65 signaling cascade not only maintains basal levels of the immune defense modulating IFNs and CD14; it also supports macrophage survival. Wnt5a-Fz5-Rac1 signaling mediated p65 homeostasis in turn sustains Wnt5a expression in a feed-forward mode. The natural immune response of macrophages to Escherichia coli/LPS and virus is accordingly sustained. The depiction of sustenance of innate immune functions as an outcome of a homeostatic Wnt5a-p65 axis unfolds previously unidentified details of immune regulation and provides new insight into homeostatic cell signaling.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Blotting, Western
  • Chromatin Immunoprecipitation
  • Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay
  • Flow Cytometry
  • Homeostasis / immunology*
  • Humans
  • Immunity, Innate / immunology*
  • Macrophages / immunology*
  • Macrophages / metabolism
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Microscopy, Confocal
  • NF-kappa B / immunology*
  • NF-kappa B / metabolism
  • Neuropeptides / immunology*
  • RNA, Small Interfering
  • Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Signal Transduction / immunology
  • Transfection
  • Wnt Proteins / immunology*
  • Wnt Proteins / metabolism
  • Wnt-5a Protein
  • rac1 GTP-Binding Protein / immunology*

Substances

  • NF-kappa B
  • Neuropeptides
  • RNA, Small Interfering
  • Rac1 protein, mouse
  • Wnt Proteins
  • Wnt-5a Protein
  • Wnt5a protein, mouse
  • rac1 GTP-Binding Protein