Monosodium urate activates Src/Pyk2/PI3 kinase and cathepsin dependent unconventional protein secretion from human primary macrophages.

Monosodium urate (MSU) is an endogenous danger signal that is crystallized from uric acid released from injured cells. MSU is known to activate inflammatory response in macrophages but the molecular mechanisms involved have remained uncharacterized. Activated macrophages start to secrete proteins to activate immune response and to recruit other immune cells to the site of infection and/or tissue damage. Secretome characterization after activation of innate immune system is essential to unravel the details of early phases of defense responses. Here, we have analyzed the secretome of human primary macrophages stimulated with MSU using quantitative two-dimensional gel electrophoresis based proteomics as well as high-throughput qualitative GeLC-MS/MS approach combining protein separation by SDS-PAGE and protein identification by liquid chromatography-MS/MS. Both methods showed that MSU stimulation induced robust protein secretion from lipopolysaccharide-primed human macrophages. Bioinformatic analysis of the secretome data showed that MSU stimulation strongly activates unconventional, vesicle mediated protein secretion. The unconventionally secreted proteins included pro-inflammatory cytokines like IL-1β and IL-18, interferon-induced proteins, and danger signal proteins. Also active forms of lysosomal proteases cathepsins were secreted on MSU stimulation, and cathepsin activity was essential for MSU-induced unconventional protein secretion. Additionally, proteins associated to phosphorylation events including Src family tyrosine kinases were increased in the secretome of MSU-stimulated cells. Our functional studies demonstrated that Src, Pyk2, and PI3 kinases act upstream of cathepsins to activate the overall protein secretion from macrophages. In conclusion, we provide the first comprehensive characterization of protein secretion pathways activated by MSU in human macrophages, and reveal a novel role for cathepsins and Src, Pyk2, PI3 kinases in the activation of unconventional protein secretion.