Morphine prevents lipopolysaccharide-induced TNF secretion in mast cells blocking IκB kinase activation and SNAP-23 phosphorylation: correlation with the formation of a β-arrestin/TRAF6 complex

J Immunol. 2013 Sep 15;191(6):3400-9. doi: 10.4049/jimmunol.1202658. Epub 2013 Aug 19.

Abstract

We have previously shown that morphine pretreatment inhibits mast cell-dependent TNF production after LPS injection in the murine peritoneal cavity. In this study, we used bone marrow-derived mast cells (BMMCs) to investigate the molecular mechanisms of that inhibition. We found that morphine prevented LPS-induced TNF secretion in these cells. The observed inhibition was not due to morphine-induced TLR4 internalization and it was related to the blockage of preformed TNF secretion. LPS-induced TNF exocytosis in BMMCs was dependent on tetanus toxin-insensitive vesicle-associated membrane proteins and calcium mobilization, as well as PI3K, MAPK, and IκB kinase (IKK) activation. TNF secretion was also associated to the phosphorylation of synaptosomal-associated protein 23 (SNAP-23), which was found forming a complex with IKK in LPS-activated BMMCs. Morphine pretreatment prevented TLR4-dependent ERK and IKK phosphorylation. Analyzing the signaling events upstream of IKK activation, we found diminished TGF-β-activated kinase 1 (TAK1) phosphorylation and TNFR-associated factor (TRAF) 6 ubiquitination in BMMCs pretreated with morphine and stimulated with LPS. Morphine pretreatment provoked a marked increase in the formation of a molecular complex composed of TRAF6 and β-arrestin-2. Naloxone and a combination of μ and δ opioid receptor antagonists prevented morphine inhibitory actions. In conclusion, our results show that activation of μ and δ opioid receptors with morphine suppresses TLR4-induced TNF release in mast cells, preventing the IKK-dependent phosphorylation of SNAP-23, which is necessary for TNF exocytosis, and this inhibition correlates with the formation of a β-arrestin-2/TRAF6 complex. To our knowledge, these findings constitute the first evidence of molecular crosstalk between opioid receptors and the TLR4 signal transduction system in mast cells.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Arrestins / metabolism*
  • Enzyme Activation
  • Flow Cytometry
  • I-kappa B Kinase / metabolism
  • Immunoblotting
  • Immunoprecipitation
  • Lipopolysaccharides / immunology
  • Mast Cells / drug effects*
  • Mast Cells / immunology
  • Mast Cells / metabolism
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Morphine / pharmacology*
  • Narcotics / pharmacology*
  • Phosphorylation
  • Qb-SNARE Proteins / immunology*
  • Qc-SNARE Proteins / immunology*
  • Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Signal Transduction / drug effects*
  • Signal Transduction / immunology
  • TNF Receptor-Associated Factor 6 / metabolism*
  • Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / metabolism
  • beta-Arrestin 2
  • beta-Arrestins

Substances

  • Arrb2 protein, mouse
  • Arrestins
  • Lipopolysaccharides
  • Narcotics
  • Qb-SNARE Proteins
  • Qc-SNARE Proteins
  • Snap23 protein, mouse
  • TNF Receptor-Associated Factor 6
  • Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha
  • beta-Arrestin 2
  • beta-Arrestins
  • Morphine
  • I-kappa B Kinase