1. Academic Validation
  2. Inflamed Ulcerative Colitis Regions Associated With MRGPRX2-Mediated Mast Cell Degranulation and Cell Activation Modules, Defining a New Therapeutic Target

Inflamed Ulcerative Colitis Regions Associated With MRGPRX2-Mediated Mast Cell Degranulation and Cell Activation Modules, Defining a New Therapeutic Target

  • Gastroenterology. 2021 Apr;160(5):1709-1724. doi: 10.1053/j.gastro.2020.12.076.
Ernie Chen 1 Ling-Shiang Chuang 1 Mamta Giri 1 Nicole Villaverde 1 Nai-Yun Hsu 1 Ksenija Sabic 1 Sari Joshowitz 1 Kyle Gettler 1 Shikha Nayar 1 Zhi Chai 2 Isaac L Alter 2 Colleen C Chasteau 1 Ujunwa M Korie 1 Siarhei Dzedzik 3 Tin Htwe Thin 3 Aayushee Jain 1 Arden Moscati 1 Gerardus Bongers 4 Richard H Duerr 5 Mark S Silverberg 6 Steven R Brant 7 John D Rioux 8 Inga Peter 1 L Philip Schumm 9 Talin Haritunians 10 Dermot P McGovern 10 Yuval Itan 1 Judy H Cho 11
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 The Charles Bronfman Institute for Personalized Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York; Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York.
  • 2 The Charles Bronfman Institute for Personalized Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York.
  • 3 Department of Pathology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York.
  • 4 Precision Immunology Institute at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York.
  • 5 Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
  • 6 Zane Cohen Centre for Digestive Diseases, Division of Gastroenterology, Mount Sinai Hospital, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
  • 7 Crohns and Colitis Center of New Jersey, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Medicine, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, New Jersey.
  • 8 Research Centre, Montreal Heart Institute, Montréal, Quebec, Canada; Faculty of Medicine, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Quebec, Canada.
  • 9 Department of Health Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois.
  • 10 F. Widjaja Foundation Inflammatory Bowel and Immunobiology Research Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California.
  • 11 The Charles Bronfman Institute for Personalized Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York; Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York. Electronic address: Judy.cho@mssm.edu.
Abstract

Background & aims: Recent literature has implicated a key role for mast cells in murine models of colonic inflammation, but their role in human ulcerative colitis (UC) is not well established. A major advance has been the identification of mrgprb2 (human orthologue, MRGPX2) as mediating IgE-independent mast cell activation. We sought to define mechanisms of mast cell activation and MRGPRX2 in human UC.

Methods: Colon tissues were collected from patients with UC for bulk RNA Sequencing and lamina propria cells were isolated for MRGPRX2 activation studies and single-cell RNA Sequencing. Genetic association of all protein-altering G-protein coupled receptor single-nucleotide polymorphism was performed in an Ashkenazi Jewish UC case-control cohort. Variants of MRGPRX2 were transfected into Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) and human mast cell (HMC) 1.1 cells to detect genotype-dependent effects on β-arrestin recruitment, IP-1 accumulation, and phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase.

Results: Mast cell-specific mediators and Adrenomedullin (proteolytic precursor of PAMP-12, an MRGPRX2 agonist) are up-regulated in inflamed compared to uninflamed UC. MRGPRX2 stimulation induces Carboxypeptidase secretion from inflamed UC. Of all protein-altering GPCR alleles, a unique variant of MRGPRX2, Asn62Ser, was most associated with and was bioinformatically predicted to alter Arrestin recruitment. We validated that the UC protective serine allele enhances β-arrestin recruitment, decreases IP-1, and increases phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase with MRGPRX2 agonists. Single-cell RNA Sequencing defines that Adrenomedullin is expressed by activated fibroblasts and epithelial cells and that interferon gamma is a key upstream regulator of mast cell gene expression.

Conclusion: Inflamed UC regions are distinguished by MRGPRX2-mediated activation of mast cells, with decreased activation observed with a UC-protective genetic variant. These results define cell modules of UC activation and a new therapeutic target.

Keywords

G-Protein Coupled Receptors; Mast Cells; Single Cell Sequencing; Ulcerative Colitis.

Figures
Products