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Crosstalk between nonclassical monocytes and alveolar macrophages mediates transplant ischemia-reperfusion injury through classical monocyte recruitment
Chitaru Kurihara, Emilia Lecuona, Qiang Wu, Wenbin Yang, Félix L. Núñez-Santana, Mahzad Akbarpour, Xianpeng Liu, Ziyou Ren, Wenjun Li, Melissa Querrey, Sowmya Ravi, Megan L. Anderson, Emily Cerier, Haiying Sun, Megan E. Kelly, Hiam Abdala-Valencia, Ali Shilatifard, Thalachallour Mohanakumar, G.R. Scott Budinger, Daniel Kreisel, Ankit Bharat
Chitaru Kurihara, Emilia Lecuona, Qiang Wu, Wenbin Yang, Félix L. Núñez-Santana, Mahzad Akbarpour, Xianpeng Liu, Ziyou Ren, Wenjun Li, Melissa Querrey, Sowmya Ravi, Megan L. Anderson, Emily Cerier, Haiying Sun, Megan E. Kelly, Hiam Abdala-Valencia, Ali Shilatifard, Thalachallour Mohanakumar, G.R. Scott Budinger, Daniel Kreisel, Ankit Bharat
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Research Article Transplantation

Crosstalk between nonclassical monocytes and alveolar macrophages mediates transplant ischemia-reperfusion injury through classical monocyte recruitment

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Abstract

Primary graft dysfunction (PGD) is the predominant cause of early graft loss following lung transplantation. We recently demonstrated that donor pulmonary intravascular nonclassical monocytes (NCM) initiate neutrophil recruitment. Simultaneously, host-origin classical monocytes (CM) permeabilize the vascular endothelium to allow neutrophil extravasation necessary for PGD. Here, we show that a CCL2-CCR2 axis is necessary for CM recruitment. Surprisingly, although intravital imaging and multichannel flow cytometry revealed that depletion of donor NCM abrogated CM recruitment, single cell RNA sequencing identified donor alveolar macrophages (AM) as predominant CCL2 secretors. Unbiased transcriptomic analysis of murine tissues combined with murine KOs and chimeras indicated that IL-1β production by donor NCM was responsible for the early activation of AM and CCL2 release. IL-1β production by NCM was NLRP3 inflammasome dependent and inhibited by treatment with a clinically approved sulphonylurea. Production of CCL2 in the donor AM occurred through IL-1R–dependent activation of the PKC and NF-κB pathway. Accordingly, we show that IL-1β–dependent paracrine interaction between donor NCM and AM leads to recruitment of recipient CM necessary for PGD. Since depletion of donor NCM, IL-1β, or IL-1R antagonism and inflammasome inhibition abrogated recruitment of CM and PGD and are feasible using FDA-approved compounds, our findings may have potential for clinical translation.

Authors

Chitaru Kurihara, Emilia Lecuona, Qiang Wu, Wenbin Yang, Félix L. Núñez-Santana, Mahzad Akbarpour, Xianpeng Liu, Ziyou Ren, Wenjun Li, Melissa Querrey, Sowmya Ravi, Megan L. Anderson, Emily Cerier, Haiying Sun, Megan E. Kelly, Hiam Abdala-Valencia, Ali Shilatifard, Thalachallour Mohanakumar, G.R. Scott Budinger, Daniel Kreisel, Ankit Bharat

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Figure 3

Depletion of donor alveolar macrophages (AM) suppresses recruitment of recipient classical monocytes (CM) to the transplanted lung.

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Depletion of donor alveolar macrophages (AM) suppresses recruitment of r...
(A) Flow cytometry showing percentage of cells of donor (CD45.1) and recipient (CD45.2) origin in the allograft 24 hours after transplantation. Neutrophils were gated as live CD45+Ly6G+CD11b+CD24+SSChi; AM were gated as live CD45+Ly6G–NK1.1–SiglecF+CD64+CD11c+; CM were gated as live CD45+Ly6G–NK1.1–CD11b+SiglecF–CD24–Ly6Chi; NCM were gated as live CD45+Ly6G–NK1.1–CD11b+SiglecF–CD24–Ly6Clo (n = 3); and interstitial macrophages (IM) were gated as live CD45+Ly6G–NK1.1–CD11b+MHC II+CD11c+CD64+CD24− (n = 3–6). (B) UMAP plot (left) and feature plots (middle and right) showing specific cell populations and expression of Ccl2 in naive lungs and in allografts (Allo) 24 hours after transplant. (C) Flow cytometry showing percentage of RFP+ cells in lung allografts after transplantation of donor Ccl2-rfp grafts into WT recipient. AM and NCM were gated as in A. (D) Normalized counts per minute (CPM) of Ccl2 in sorted mouse AM isolated from allografts 2 hours after transplant (n = 4). (E) Relative Ccl2 mRNA levels of human and mouse AM isolated before and after reperfusion (n = 3–5). (F) Flow cytometry quantification of CM gated as in A, recruited into the allograft after intratracheal administration of PBS liposomes (PBS-lip) or clodronate liposomes (Clo-lip) in the donor mice (n = 4). (G) Flow cytometry quantification of extravasated neutrophils in the allograft gated as in A, after intratracheal administration of PBS-lip or Clo-lip in donor mice (n = 3). (H) Relative Ccl2 mRNA levels in AM isolated from WT, Cd169Cre, Ccl-rfpfl/fl, and Cd169CreCcl2-rfpfl/fl allografts and compared with naive AM (n = 5). (I) Blood CCL2 levels after transplant combinations described in H (n = 5). (J) Flow cytometry quantification of CM gated as in A, after transplant combinations described in H (n = 5). Graphs show means ± SD. Graphs in C–G were analyzed by unpaired Student’s t test. Graphs in H–J were analyzed by 1-way ANOVA followed by Tukey’s post hoc test. *P < 0.05; **P < 0.01; ***P < 0.001; ****P < 0.0001.

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