Frontiers in Chemistry (Feb 2021)

Characterization and Validation of Arg286 Residue of IL-1RAcP as a Potential Drug Target for Osteoarthritis

  • Angela Dailing,
  • Kelsey Mitchell,
  • Ngoc Vuong,
  • Kyung Hyeon Lee,
  • Reva Joshi,
  • Virginia Espina,
  • Amanda Haymond Still,
  • Carter J. Gottschalk,
  • Anne M. Brown,
  • Anne M. Brown,
  • Mikell Paige,
  • Lance A. Liotta,
  • Alessandra Luchini

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fchem.2020.601477
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 8

Abstract

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Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of arthritis and the fastest growing cause of chronic disability in the world. Formation of the ternary IL-1β /IL-1R1/IL-1RAcP protein complex and its downstream signaling has been implicated in osteoarthritis pathology. Current OA therapeutic approaches target either the cytokine IL-1β or the primary receptor IL-1RI but do not exploit the potential of the secondary receptor IL-1RAcP. Our previous work implicated the Arg286 residue of IL-1RAcP as a key mediator of complex formation. Molecular modeling confirmed Arg286 as a high-energy mediator of the ternary IL-1β complex architecture and interaction network. Anti-IL-1RAcP monoclonal antibodies (mAb) targeting the Arg286 residue were created and were shown to effectively reduce the influx of inflammatory cells to damaged joints in a mouse model of osteoarthritis. Inhibitory peptides based on the native sequence of IL-1RAcP were prepared and examined for efficacy at disrupting the complex formation. The most potent peptide inhibitor had an IC50 value of 304 pM in a pull-down model of complex formation, and reduced IL-1β signaling in a cell model by 90% at 2 μM. Overall, therapies that target the Arg286 region surface of IL-1RAcP, and disrupt subsequent interactions with subunits, have the potential to serve as next generation treatments for osteoarthritis.

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