RPTPε promotes M2-polarized macrophage migration through ROCKII signaling and podosome formation

Abstract

Cysteinyl-leukotrienes (cys-LTs) have well-characterized physiopathological roles in the development of inflammatory diseases. We have found that protein tyrosine phosphatase epsilon (PTPε) is a signaling partner of CysLT1R, a high affinity receptor for leukotriene D4 (LTD4). There are two major isoforms of PTPε, receptor-like (RPTPε) and cytoplasmic (cyt-)PTPε, and in most cells, their expression is mutually exclusive, except in human primary monocytes, which express both isoforms. Here we show differential PTPε isoform expression patterns between monocytes, M1 and M2 human monocyte-derived macrophages (hMDM) with the expression of glycosylated forms of RPTPε predominantly in M2-polarized hMDMs. Using PTPε-specific siRNAs and expression of RPTPε and cyt-PTPε, we found that RPTPε was involved in monocyte adhesion and migration of M2-polarized hMDMs in response to LTD4. Altered organization of podosomes and higher phosphorylation of the inhibitory Y-722 residue of ROCKII was also found in PTPε-siRNA-transfected cells. In conclusion, we show that differentiation and polarization of monocytes into M2-polarized hMDMs modulates the expression of PTPε isoforms and RPTPε is involved in podosome distribution, ROCKII activation and migration in response to LTD4.