Chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans prevent immune cell phenotypic conversion and inflammation resolution via TLR4 in rodent models of spinal cord injury

Isaac Francos-Quijorna, Marina Sánchez-Petidier, Emily R. Burnside, Smaranda R. Badea, Abel Torres-Espin, Lucy Marshall, Fred de Winter, Joost Verhaagen, Victoria Moreno-Manzano, Elizabeth J. Bradbury*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to JournalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans (CSPGs) act as potent inhibitors of axonal growth and neuroplasticity after spinal cord injury (SCI). Here we reveal that CSPGs also play a critical role in preventing inflammation resolution by blocking the conversion of pro-inflammatory immune cells to a pro-repair phenotype in rodent models of SCI. We demonstrate that enzymatic digestion of CSPG glycosaminoglycans enhances immune cell clearance and reduces pro-inflammatory protein and gene expression profiles at key resolution time points. Analysis of phenotypically distinct immune cell clusters revealed CSPG-mediated modulation of macrophage and microglial subtypes which, together with T lymphocyte infiltration and composition changes, suggests a role for CSPGs in modulating both innate and adaptive immune responses after SCI. Mechanistically, CSPG activation of a pro-inflammatory phenotype in pro-repair immune cells was found to be TLR4-dependent, identifying TLR4 signalling as a key driver of CSPG-mediated immune modulation. These findings establish CSPGs as critical mediators of inflammation resolution failure after SCI in rodents, which leads to prolonged inflammatory pathology and irreversible tissue destruction.

Original languageEnglish
Article number2933
Pages (from-to)1-23
Number of pages23
JournalNature Communications
Volume13
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 25 May 2022

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
The work was supported by grants from the following organisations: the U.K. Medical Research Council (SNCF G1002055; ERA-NET NEURON MR/R005532/1) and the Rosetrees Trust (CF1\100006) to E.J.B.; the Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER)/Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación—Agencia Estatal de Investigación “RTI2018-095872-B-C21/ERDF” (included in the FEDER programme for the Comunidad Valenciana 2014-2020) to V.M.M.; and Wings for Life Spinal Cord Research Foundation (WFL-UK-01/20 Project 214 to E.J.B.; WFL-NL-25/20 Project 238 to J.V.). We thank Dr. S. Akira (Osaka) and Dr C. Guerri for providing TLR4 mice. −/−

Publisher Copyright:
© 2022, The Author(s).

Funding

The work was supported by grants from the following organisations: the U.K. Medical Research Council (SNCF G1002055; ERA-NET NEURON MR/R005532/1) and the Rosetrees Trust (CF1\100006) to E.J.B.; the Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER)/Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación—Agencia Estatal de Investigación “RTI2018-095872-B-C21/ERDF” (included in the FEDER programme for the Comunidad Valenciana 2014-2020) to V.M.M.; and Wings for Life Spinal Cord Research Foundation (WFL-UK-01/20 Project 214 to E.J.B.; WFL-NL-25/20 Project 238 to J.V.). We thank Dr. S. Akira (Osaka) and Dr C. Guerri for providing TLR4 mice. −/−

FundersFunder number
Comunidad Valenciana 2014-2020
SNCFG1002055, ERA-NET NEURON MR/R005532/1
Wings for LifeWFL-UK-01/20
Wings for Life
Medical Research Council
Rosetrees TrustCF1\100006
Rosetrees Trust
Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación
European Regional Development Fund
Agencia Estatal de InvestigaciónRTI2018-095872-B-C21
Agencia Estatal de Investigación

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