Alternative Macrophage Activation Requires Granulocyte-Derived Lipids

Lipid metabolism is important for alternative (M2) macrophage activation, but it remains unclear whether it is essential for this process, and the underlying mechanisms have yet to be determined. It is also unclear how the M2 phenotype is induced during the resolution of inflammation and tissue repair. We used large-scale RNA-sequencing and high-throughput lipidomics approaches to identify that during blood coagulation, granulocytes release certain lipids that are loaded onto high-density lipoproteins (HDLs), which then act via scavenger receptors SR-B1 and SR-B3 - to mediate the expression of 26 of 32 M2-associated genes and oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) in macrophages. We found that in the absence of these lipids, interleukin-4 (IL-4) induced only 6 of 32 M2 markers, and this cytokine alone failed to induce OXPHOS. We also found that the HDL-associated C18:0, C18:2, and C20:3 fatty acids (FAs) were the lipids that most potently induced the M1-to-M2 transition. Furthermore, we determined that during IL-4-mediated inflammation, the inhibition of blood coagulation, or platelet and granulocyte depletion, results in a substantial decrease in M2 marker expression. Thus, this study identified that granulocyte-derived FAs mediate the reprogramming of macrophages towards the M2 phenotype, thereby bridging the processes of blood coagulation, inflammation, and repair. HighlightsO_LIActivation of macrophages with IL-4 or IL-13 requires indispensable cofactor C_LIO_LIThe cofactor consists of high-density lipoproteins (HDLs) complexed with lipids C_LIO_LIDuring blood coagulation, granulocytes produce lipids that are loaded on HDLs C_LIO_LIHDL-associated fatty acids were the most potent lipids to induce M2 phenotype C_LI Graphic Abstract O_FIG O_LINKSMALLFIG WIDTH=200 HEIGHT=176 SRC="FIGDIR/small/580795v1_ufig1.gif" ALT="Figure 1"> View larger version (41K): org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@1a208acorg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@e7822dorg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@113672eorg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@db0eff_HPS_FORMAT_FIGEXP M_FIG C_FIG