Cell Reports (Mar 2024)

Wnt5 controls splenic myelopoiesis and neutrophil functional ambivalency during DSS-induced colitis

  • Yi Luan,
  • Jiajia Hu,
  • Qijun Wang,
  • Xujun Wang,
  • Wenxue Li,
  • Rihao Qu,
  • Chuan Yang,
  • Barani Kumar Rajendran,
  • Hongyue Zhou,
  • Peng Liu,
  • Ningning Zhang,
  • Yu Shi,
  • Yansheng Liu,
  • Wenwen Tang,
  • Jun Lu,
  • Dianqing Wu

Journal volume & issue
Vol. 43, no. 3
p. 113934

Abstract

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Summary: Neutrophils are important innate immune cells with plasticity, heterogenicity, and functional ambivalency. While bone marrow is often regarded as the primary source of neutrophil production, the roles of extramedullary production in regulating neutrophil plasticity and heterogenicity in autoimmune diseases remain poorly understood. Here, we report that the lack of wingless-type MMTV integration site family member 5 (WNT5) unleashes anti-inflammatory protection against colitis in mice, accompanied by reduced colonic CD8+ T cell activation and enhanced splenic extramedullary myelopoiesis. In addition, colitis upregulates WNT5 expression in splenic stromal cells. The ablation of WNT5 leads to increased splenic production of hematopoietic niche factors, as well as elevated numbers of splenic neutrophils with heightened CD8+ T cell suppressive capability, in part due to elevated CD101 expression and attenuated pro-inflammatory activities. Thus, our study reveals a mechanism by which neutrophil plasticity and heterogenicity are regulated in colitis through WNT5 and highlights the role of splenic neutrophil production in shaping inflammatory outcomes.

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