GDF-15 inhibits integrin activation and mouse neutrophil recruitment through the ALK-5/TGF-βRII heterodimer.

Growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF-15) is the first cytokine known to counteract chemokine-induced activation of leukocyte integrins. We showed recently that this activity dampens neutrophil recruitment into inflamed tissue and is required for survival of myocardial infarction in mice. The receptor responsible for this GDF-15-triggered anti-inflammatory mechanism on myeloid cells is not known. Here, we identify this receptor as transforming growth factor β receptor I (TGF-βRI) (activin receptor-like kinase 5 [ALK-5]) and TGF-β receptor II (TGF-βRII). We show that interference with these receptors by small-molecule inhibitors, antibodies, or small interfering RNA, blocked the GDF-15 effect on leukocyte integrin activation. Likewise, gene inactivation of each of the 2 receptors in neutrophils isolated from conditional gene-deficient mice abolished the inhibitory effect of GDF-15 on CXCL1-induced β2-integrin activation and neutrophil diapedesis. Rapid neutrophil arrest induced by CXCL1 in vivo was inhibited by GDF-15 in an ALK-5 and TGF-βRII dependent way. As for GDF-15 gene-deficient mice, we found that extravasation of neutrophils deficient for ALK-5 or TGF-βRII was strongly increased in the interleukin-1β inflamed cremaster. The inhibitory effects of GDF-15 on neutrophil integrin activation and in vivo neutrophil arrest were also found for TGF-β1. Mechanistically, GDF-15 and TGF-β1 interfered with integrin activation by inhibiting the activation of Ras-related protein 1 (Rap-1), an effect that depended on CalDAG- guanine nucleotide exchange factor 1 (GEF1) and cell division control protein 42 homolog. We conclude that both GDF-15 and TGF-β1 counteract chemokine-induced integrin activation on neutrophils via the ALK-5/TGF-βRII heterodimer. This represents a novel, rapid anti-inflammatory activity of the 2 TGF-β receptors and of TGF-β1.