GRK2: A new target for inhibiting macrophage infiltration and angiogenesis in rheumatoid arthritis

This new article publication from Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B, discusses how GRK2 inhibits Flt-1+ macrophage infiltration and its proangiogenic properties in rheumatoid arthritis.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease with a complex etiology. Monocyte-derived macrophages (MDMs) infiltration are associated with RA severity. The authors of this article report the deletion of G-protein-coupled receptor kinase 2 (GRK2) reprograms macrophages toward an anti-inflammatory phenotype by recovering G-protein-coupled receptor signaling. However, as more GRK2-interacting proteins were discovered, the GRK2 interactome mechanisms in RA have been understudied. Thus, in the collagen-induced arthritis mouse model, we performed genetic GRK2 deletion using GRK2^f/fLyz2-Cre^+/− mice. Synovial inflammation and M1 polarization were improved in GRK2^f/fLyz2-Cre^+/− mice.

Supporting experiments with RNA-seq and dual-luciferase reporter assays identified peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) as a new GRK2-interacting protein. It was further confirmed that fms-related tyrosine kinase 1 (Flt-1), which promoted macrophage migration to induce angiogenesis, was inhibited by GRK2-PPARγ signaling. Mechanistically, excess GRK2 membrane recruitment in CIA MDMs reduced the activation of PPARγ ligand-binding domain and enhanced Flt-1 transcription.

Furthermore, the treatment of mice with GRK2 activity inhibitor resulted in significantly diminished CIA pathology, Flt-1⁺ macrophages induced-synovial inflammation, and angiogenesis. Altogether, it is anticipated to facilitate the elucidation of previously unappreciated details of GRK2-specific intracellular signaling. Targeting GRK2 activity is a viable strategy to inhibit MDMs infiltration, affording a distinct way to control joint inflammation and angiogenesis of RA.